Meet the Cast of Annika
From the actress who portrayed Harry Potter’s first love interest to a recreational boxer and a MASTERPIECE fan favorite, find out about the stars of the TV crime drama Annika. Learn what they think of their characters, where you’ve seen them before, and discover something you wouldn’t guess about each.
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- 1.
Nicola Walker as DI Annika Strandhed
Her Character: DI Strandhed is the wry and irrepressible head of Glasgow’s new Marine Homicide Unit, who has a weakness for using literary and historical references to help solve crimes.
On the Role: “As everyone knows, I’ve played a lot of detectives over the years,” says Walker. “But I’ve been Annika for a long time now [seven years on BBC Radio 4], and if there was a chance of getting her fully fleshed out in a real-world environment, I wanted to be part of it.”
Fun Fact: Walker got her motorboat pilot license for the series and her own family followed suit! “My husband and son were so jealous that they went out and got licensees as well,” the actor tells TV Insider, noting it’s unclear what they’ll do with them. “We live in a completely landlocked area in the south of England.”
Where You’ve Seen Her: Annika’s star is no stranger to fans of Unforgotten on MASTERPIECE. Nicola Walker’s role as DCI Cassie Stuart was consistently lauded over four seasons. She’s also well known for Last Tango in Halifax, three seasons of The Split as a divorce attorney, and a whopping 10 seasons on the espionage series, Spooks.
- 2.
Jamie Sives as DS Michael McAndrews
His Character: Sives plays the Marine Homicide Unit’s search diver, DS McAndrews. His character imagined he was a shoo-in for the lead job Annika actually gets and his nose is a bit out of joint about it.
On the Role: Michael’s “quite a louche, laconic,” says Sives. “He doesn’t take things too seriously, but when the stuff hits the fan, he instantly jumps into action.” His character dives into the water quite a bit but “being Scottish, I’ve jumped into a fair few lochs in my time! …[it’s] apparently good for you.”
Fun Fact: Turns out this Edinburgh native is just at home in the boxing ring as he is on a set. He’s trained for years at Lochend Boxing Club, around the corner from where he grew up. He tells The Scotsman he finds both release and restraint in the sport. “I’ve never had a bout in my life or boxed competitively,” Sives says. “I’ve sparred a lot, mainly with friends and I love that. Bombs could be dropping outside, and you would not care. You’ve just got total focus on the guy that’s gonna hit you. It’s an amazing discipline.”
Where You’ve Seen Him: MASTERPIECE Mystery! fans may recognize Sives from his role as the likeable, rumpled McCall brother in the Scottish thriller Guilt airing for two seasons on PBS. Sives is an actor, producer, and director. He has a long list of film and TV credits including roles in Crime and Game of Thrones.
- 3.
Katie Leung as DC Blair Ferguson
Her Character: The brilliant and quirky DC Ferguson is the team’s analyst, parsing data and finessing technology during cases. She has a strange sense of humor that no one gets, but that doesn’t bother her.
On the Role: “Being Scottish, working in Scotland with Nicola [Walker], and having the chance to play a combination drama and comedy, all that really appealed,” says Leung. And her character “is brilliant, easily the most intelligent person on the team. …Annika is the only one who would make Blair feel she has to up her game.”
Fun Fact: Leung rose to fame in 2005 after playing Cho Chang, Harry Potter’s first love interest in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She was 16 years old when cast and allegedly beat out over 3,000 other girls to land the part.
Where You’ve Seen Her: Since the Harry Potter films, Leung has appeared on both stage and television. Her TV credits range from Roadkill on MASTERPIECE to episodes of Father Brown and Poirot to the animated action series Arcane.
- 4.
Ukweli Roach as DS Tyrone Clarke
His Character: DS Clarke comes to the Marine Homicide Unit straight out of border command where he patrolled for illegal drug smuggling. He’s looking for a different role and is fascinated by the idea of working under the offbeat DCI Strandhed. He’s not a very good team player, however.
On the Role: Roach was drawn to the project because “it [offered] a great chance to play a character type I’d not portrayed before. I’d also never done a police procedural or been part of a team, so Annika was a really good challenge for me,” he says.
Fun Fact: This young actor has been a dance devotee since childhood and is an accomplished avant garde dance and hip-hop performer. He’s co-Artistic Director for BirdGang Dance Company and has lent his talents to pop videos for both Mariah Carey and Kylie Minogue.
Where You’ve Seen Him: Die-hard MASTERPIECE Mystery! fans may recall Roach’s portrayal of Johnny Johnson, the boyfriend of Sidney Chamber’s sister in Grantchester’s premiere season. More recently, Roach has appeared in the series Death in Paradise and Blindspot.
- 5.
Paul McGann as Therapist Jake Strathearn
His Character: Dr. Jake Strathearn is Morgan Strandhed’s therapist-turned-love-interest for Annika. He’s clever, droll, and totally Annika’s type.
Fun Fact: McGann and Nicola Walker previously worked together doing audio plays of Doctor Who. Paul McGann played the eighth incarnation of the Doctor with Walker portraying his assistant, Liv Chenka.
Where You’ve Seen Him: This is an actor who regularly works in film, TV, and theater. His numerous gigs have included Luther, Hornblower, and The Three Musketeers. McGann also holds the distinction of starring in the BBC’s 1996 TV revival of Doctor Who, the role for which he’s most recognized.
- 6.
Silvie Furneaux as Morgan Strandhed
Her Character: Morgan is the difficult and rebellious 15-year-old daughter of Annika Strandhed. She’s in that awkward stage of growing up, pushing the envelope, and exploring love.
On the Role: “Morgan is a very complex, playful character,” says Furneaux. Her character has “that relationship with her mom, which I can definitely relate to. You argue like cat and dog, you clash, but you still love each other. I liked that side of [the role] and thought it would be really interesting to play someone who’s got so much going on in their head.”
Fun Fact: Like her castmate, Ukweli Roach, Furneaux is also highly skilled in contemporary and hip-hop dance. She says music is also an essential aspect of her life and plays the guitar and piano.
Where You’ve Seen Her: Before Annika, Furneaux had the featured role of Cheryl in the British Academy of Film & Television Arts-nominated series Limbo.
