Meet the cast of Nightsleeper
Joe Cole and Alexandra Roach lead a large ensemble cast in the BBC thriller.
Following the success of ITV's Red Eye and Apple TV+ drama Hijack, the BBC is now presenting its own tale of transport terror with Nightsleeper – starring Gangs of London star Joe Cole and Killing Eve's Alexandra Roach.
The series follows the passengers on an overnight train from Glasgow to London, who are horrified to discover that their journey has been remotely hacked by an unknown cyber terrorist.
Off-duty police detective Joe Roag (Cole) becomes the primary point of contact for National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) director Abby Aysgarth (Roach) as her team frantically attempts to halt the speeding vehicle.
But their mysterious assailants always appear to be one step ahead and bubbling tensions on the train itself will prove a further obstacle to finding a safe way out for all concerned.
Read on for your full introduction to the Nightsleeper cast, including profiles for each character and details on where you may have seen each actor before.
Nightsleeper cast: Full list of actors and characters
- Joe Cole as Joe Roag
- Alexandra Roach as Abby Aysgarth
- David Threlfall plays Paul Peveril
- Parth Thakerar plays Saj Sidhu
- Pamela Nomvete plays Nicola Miller
- Ruth Madeley plays Chrissy Doolan
- James Cosmo plays Fraser Warren
- Katie Leung plays Rachel Zhu
- Scott Reid plays Billy McCloud
- Sharon Rooney plays Yas Brown
- Alex Ferns plays Arran Moy
- Daniel Cahill plays Danny Geoghan
- Sharon Small plays Liz Draycot
- Lois Chimimba plays Erin Connolly
- Leah MacRae plays Sophie Warren
- Gabriel Howell plays Tobi McKnight
- Remy Beasley plays Meg Hooton
Joe Cole as Joe Roag
Who is Joe Roag? Joe is an off-duty detective, who is unexpectedly swept up in a dangerous conspiracy focused around the overnight train from Glasgow to London. As the main point of contact for the cybersecurity service, he'll need to somehow stay calm while facing the immense pressure of an out-of-control train and a group of confrontational passengers. Good luck!
What else has Joe Cole been in? Cole rose to fame as John Shelby in BBC period drama Peaky Blinders. He went on to leading roles in Gangs of London, The Ipcress Files and A Small Light, while he's also known for Black Mirror episode Hang the DJ.
Alexandra Roach as Abby Aysgarth
Who is Abby Aysgarth? Abby is the acting technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and one of the first people alerted when fears of a cyber attack begin to grow. She definitely feels the pressure of the situation, but attempts to keep a positive front to help those around her, frequently sharing jokes and words of encouragement.
What else has Alexandra Roach been in? Roach is best known for Channel 4 dramas Utopia and No Offence, period romance Sanditon and spy thriller Killing Eve. More recently, she has appeared in Netflix mystery Bodies and one-off factual drama Men Up.
David Threlfall plays Paul Peveril
Who is Paul Peveril? Paul is an eccentric man who once worked alongside Abby at the NCSC, but left the organisation under contentious circumstances. There's a risk of major drama in bringing him back into the fold, but Abby feels that he's the only one who can help them stop this crisis before it spirals further out of control.
What else has David Threlfall been in? Threlfall played Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless, which aired for almost a decade before wrapping up in 2013.
Parth Thakerar plays Saj Sidhu
Who is Saj Sidhu? Saj is Abby's colleague at the NCSC, with whom she has a complicated past.
What else has Parth Thakerar been in? Thakerar plays JJ on Sky's ever-popular comedy-drama Brassic, while he's previously appeared alongside Joe Cole in Gangs of London. His other credits include Starstruck and Steven Knight's Great Expectations.
Pamela Nomvete plays Nicola Miller
Who is Nicola Miller? Nicola is Abby's boss, who grants her authority over the train crisis on one condition: don't contact Paul Peveril – it seems the two of them did not part ways on good terms.
What else has Pamela Nomvete been in? Nomvete has a variety of credits to her name, including ITVX thriller Without Sin, Star Wars series Andor and Sky's Gangs of London.
Ruth Madeley plays Chrissy Doolan
Who is Chrissy Doolan? A passenger on the nightsleeper train, and a lawyer.
What else has Ruth Madeley been in? Recently, Madeley debuted in Doctor Who as UNIT scientific advisor Shirley Ann Bingham, a role she will reprise in both season 15 and spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea. Previously, she worked with Russell T Davies on his 2019 drama Years & Years. Other screen credits include The Accident, Save Me Too, The Cleaner and Brassic.
James Cosmo plays Fraser Warren
Who is Fraser Warren? An older man who once worked on the railways, but is now travelling as a passenger.
What else has James Cosmo been in? Cosmo's career began in the 1960s, with some of his most notable credits being Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. More recently, he played Jeor Mormont in Game of Thrones, Captain Creech in The Durrells and Farder Coram in His Dark Materials.
Katie Leung plays Rachel Zhu
Who is Rachel Zhu? A busy professional, who is frustrated by how the train hack will impact her deadlines.
What else has Katie Leung been in? Leung rose to fame in the cast of the Harry Potter films, where she played Ravenclaw student Cho Chang. Since then, she has appeared in BBC dramas The Nest and Roadkill, UKTV's Annika and Prime Video originals The Peripheral and The Wheel of Time. She also has a voice role in acclaimed Netflix animated series Arcane.
Scott Reid plays Billy McCloud
Who is Billy McCloud? An employee of the rail company, who attempts to help in the unfolding crisis wherever he can.
What else has Scott Reid been in? His earlier credits include Prime Video's Carnival Row, ITV's White House Farm and BBC One's Line of Duty.
Sharon Rooney plays Yas Brown
Who is Yas Brown? Yas is another employee of the train company, who works primarily behind the train bar.
What else has Sharon Rooney been in? Last year, Rooney played Lawyer Barbie in the mega-hit blockbuster based on the famous doll. Previously, she was known for her comedy work in My Mad Fat Diary, Two Doors Down and Zapped as well as more dramatic roles in The Tunnel, The Capture and The Control Room.
Alex Ferns plays Arran Moy
Who is Arran Moy? Arran is a passenger on the train with a short temper.
What else has Alex Ferns been in? Recently, Fern has featured in Star Wars spin-off Andor and Prime Video thriller The Devil's Hour. On the big screen, he's known for Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man, DC blockbuster The Batman and monster flick Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Soap fans may also recognise him as Trevor Morgan on EastEnders, a role he played for two years at the turn of the millennium.
Daniel Cahill plays Danny Geoghan
Who is Danny Geoghan? An oil rig employee with an urgent personal issue.
What else has Daniel Cahill been in? Cahill has previously appeared in BBC One thriller The Control Room.
Sharon Small plays Liz Draycot
Who is Liz Draycot? The UK government's Transport Secretary, who has been having a rather hard time in the press.
What else has Sharon Small been in? Small co-starred opposite Nathaniel Parker in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. She went on to leading roles in BBC dramas Mistresses and Trust Me. She also plays DS Vivienne Cole in daytime series London Kills.
Lois Chimimba plays Erin Connolly
Who is Erin Connolly? A student who butts heads with Arran.
What else has Lois Chimimba been in? Chimimba is best known for roles in Sky's A Discovery of Witches, Netflix's The One, ITV's The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe and BBC One's The Outlaws.
Leah MacRae plays Sophie Warren
Who is Sophie Warren? Fraser's daughter-in-law, with a troubled past.
What else has Leah MacRae been in? MacRae played Ellie McLean in Scottish serial drama River City, while she's also known for roles in Martin Compston's Traces and Sheridan Smith's Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything. She appeared in one episode of Netflix's provocative miniseries Baby Reindeer as Gwen.
Gabriel Howell plays Tobi McKnight
Who is Tobi McKnight? A cybersecurity expert who works on Abby's team and rents out her spare room.
What else has Gabriel Howell been in? Howell has previously appeared in Netflix mystery drama Bodies, starring Stephen Graham. He has been cast in the upcoming live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon.
Remy Beasley plays Meg Hooton
Who is Meg Hooton? Meg is Abby's friend. They have a holiday booked that is rudely interrupted by the train hack.
What else has Remy Beasley been in? Beasley played Beyoncé (not that Beyoncé) in Ruth Jones's comedy-drama Stella, following it up with roles in true crime shows The Salisbury Poisonings and Steeltown Murders. Last year, she was seen in Netflix romantic drama One Day, BBC comedy Black Ops and ITVX medical series Maternal.
Nightsleeper premieres on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 15th September. Stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am that day.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
