It’s been almost two years since season 1 of the crime drama Annika first aired on Alibi but now, it’s making the switch to the BBC, with episode 1 introducing viewers to a stellar cast.
You can’t beat a good detective drama with the likes of Death In Paradise, Endeavour and Vera serving as highlights of the genre.
In 2021 the excellent Nicola Walker helmed Alibi’s murder mystery Annika. Now, two years later, after first airing on UKTV, the crime series is moving to BBC One.
Annika’s first episode introduces us to her titular detective as well as to her cast of supporting police officers and guest actors who will play the role of suspects.
Annika Season 1 Episode 1 Release Date and Plot Preview
The first episode of Annika, which aired on Alibi back in August of 2021, will be broadcast on BBC One on May 20th, 2023 at 9:15pm. All six episodes from season 1 can now be viewed on BBC iPlayer.
The series begins with DI Annika Strandhed arriving in Glasgow to head up the Marine Homicide Unit, which investigates any suspicious deaths in and around Scotland’s waterways.
Annika’s first day as a member of the police unit is shown in Episode 1. She is called upon to investigate a murder after locating drenched corpses in the River Clyde.
Annika season 1 episode 1 cast
In a similar fashion to countless previous crime dramas, the first episode of Annika’s season 1 introduces the fans with the entire cast while having DI Strandhed meet several guest-star suspects.
Cast main and repeating
Guest Stars
Cast spotlight
Nicola Walker is Annika Strandhed, DI
Nicola Walker is the veteran actress who has played more than 50 different roles during her long and successful career.
Fans will also recognize Walker for her role in Unforgotten and The Split. She has also appeared in Spooks, a long-running BBC series.
While her extensive career has also seen her appear in Marriage alongside Sean Bean, Collateral, River, the TV series Babylon, Scott & Bailey, Heading Out, Chalk and Touching Evil.
Jamie Sives in the role of DS Michael McAndrews
Jamie Sives (born in Edinburgh) joins Walker to play DS McAndrews.
Sives’ career spans over two decades, and he has played close to seventy roles. This includes Game Of Thrones fans, who will recognize him as House Stark’s knight Jory Cassel, during the entire first season.
Other productions he has appeared in include Guilt, ITV’s Too Close, Sky’s excellent Chernobyl series, Frontier, Silent Witness, Rockface and the films The Last Manhunt, Trick Or Treat and In The Heart Of The Sea.
Katie Leung is DC Blair Ferguson
Another member of Annika’s Marine Homicide Unit is DC Blair Ferguson who is played by Katie Leung.
Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will recognise Katie as Cho Chang while the actress has also starred in Netflix’s Arcane series, Chemistry Of Death, Prime Video’s The Peripheral, Roadkill, The Nest, Strangers, T2 Trainspotting, Father Brown and the 2021 film, Locked Down.
Ukweli roach is now DS Tyrone Clarke
Ukweli roach is another Marine Homicide Unit Member, DS Tyrone Clarke.
Ukweli’s acting resume also includes parts in Starlings (a detective series), The Royals (a crime drama), Hard Sun (a thriller), Humans (a comedy), The Midwich Cuckoos as well as the US television show Blindspot.
Kate Dickie as DCI Diane Oban
Kate Dickie, another Game Of Thrones actor, plays DCI Diane Oban.
Aside from playing the repulsive Lysa Arryn in Game Of Thrones, the East Kilbride-born actress has starred in approaching 100 roles which include appearances in Steven Moffat’s Inside Man, The Northman, The Green Knight, The Nest, Temple, Peaky Blinders, Shetland, Vera and 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Silvie Furneaux as Morgan Strandhed
Silvie furneaux is another important member of Annika’s cast. She plays Morgan Strandhed the daughter to the detective.
She has only a few roles under her belt, including Red Rose, Vigil and the movie Limbo.
Saskia Asdown in the role of Sam Decosta
Saskia Ashley, who plays Sam Decosta both in episodes 1 and 3, is the last cast member to appear on our list.
Edinburgh-born Saskia has 10 roles to her name so far with some of the most notable projects on her CV including medical dramas Trust Me and Casualty as well as Six Four, Bite Size Halloween, Clique and the films Falling For Figaro, The Last Bus and It’s Not Over.
Caroline Guthrie, Isla Hendry
Caroline Guthrie, who portrays Isla Henry in Annika Episode 1, is the first guest star.
In a career that spans more than 30 years, the experienced actress is known for her roles in Glasgow Kiss, Shetland Taggart and Casualty. She has also appeared in BBC Comedy Ghosts.
Finlay Morris as Gavin Jon Wright
Gavin John Wright will be another familiar face to fans of Scottish TV as he’s starred in Shetland, Taggart, Dear Green Place, River City and In Plain Sight.
Kirsty strain as Trish Shendry
Kirsty strain, a Glasgow native who was born in Scotland, plays Trish Hendry as Trish In the first episode. She is likely to be another well-known actress due to her extensive CV which boasts more than forty previous roles.
Burnistoun, Outlander and Taggart are among the many shows that have featured Burnistoun..
Hannah Donaldson, Ms Hill
Hannah Donaldson stars as Ms Hill in Annika while fans may also recognise her from The Crown, Granite Harbour, CBBC’s Demon Headmaster, Shetland, The Loch and the David Tennant-starring series, Deadwater Fell.
Kevin O’Loughlin as James Hyndman
Kevin O’Loughlin is a veteran of over 20 acting roles and aside from appearing as James Hyndman in Annika, he has also appeared in The Demon Headmaster, River City, In Plain Sight, Clique, Still Game, Netflix’s Lovesick and Trust Me.
Shona McCHugh, Denise
Shona McChugh, who portrays Denise in the film, is another Scottish actress.
Fans will likely know her best from her role as Merran Galbraith in Shetland while she’s also appeared in The Head, The Loch, Trust Me and alongside Nicola Walker once again in the 2022 series Marriage.
Annika, season 1, episode 1 premieres on Alibi on September 10, 2021. BBC One The six-part series is available on the website now. BBC iPlayer.
Related Topics
What else is on TV?