The series is written by Tom Moran, and comes from the team behind Sherlock and Dracula, including former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. The plot centres on a troubled woman who wakes up every night at 3.33am – the so-called devil’s hour – and sees terrifying visions, which get her caught up in a series of brutal murders and a disappearance from many years ago. The show boasts an impressive lineup of acting talent – so let’s meet the cast of The Devil’s Hour:
Peter Capaldi as Gideon Shepherd
Capaldi plays the reclusive Gideon, an apparently murderous obsessive on a mission, and a mysterious, enigmatic figure. We’ve recently rounded up Peter Capaldi’s best roles, but of course you’ve seen him in Doctor Who (during Steven Moffat’s time at the helm), as spin doctor and insult aficionado Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, as the foolish Mr Curry in the Paddington movies and much more.
Nikesh Patel as DI Ravi Dhillon
DI Ravi Dhillon is a police detective with an unfortunate case of hemophobia, aka an extreme fear of blood, and is played charismatically by Nikesh Patel. You’ll recognise him as Mitch in Doctor Who’s 2019 new year special ‘Resolution’, as Pradhan in London Has Fallen, and he also starred in Mark Gatiss’ Ghost Story for Christmas last year, an adaptation of the M. R. James story The Mezzotint.
Phil Dunster as Mike Stephens
Dunster plays Mike, Lucy’s smarmy estranged husband and father to their son Isaac. He’s probably best known as Jamie Tartt on the hit Apple TV series Ted Lasso, but he also appeared as Tristan in Humans, as Will Jensen in Strike Back, and as Jamie in The Trouble with Maggie Cole. He also had a small role in Dracula, as Quincey, Lucy’s uncaring rich American fiance.
Meera Syal as Dr Ruby Bennett
The latest in a long line of doctors working with Lucy’s son Isaac, child psychologist Ruby Bennett is just as stumped as the rest of them about what’s wrong with him. You will of course recognise national treasure Meera Syal from her impressive body of work, for instance as one of the creators of Goodness Gracious Me, as the hilarious grandma, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42, and as Nasreen Choudhry in the Doctor Who two-parter, ‘Hungry Earth’ and ‘Cold Blood’, alongside Matt Smith. More recently, she was Dr Patel in Doctor Strange and appeared as a judge on Broadchurch.
Alex Ferns as DS Nick Holness
Investigating a string of brutal murders, DS Nick Holness is the partner and colleague of DI Dhillon (Nikesh Patel). He’s played by Alex Ferns, who is best known for playing both Sergeant Linus Mosk and Sergeant Kostek in Andor, as Vic Collins in The Irregulars, and Alistair in Wolfblood. He also played the evil Trevor in Eastenders, one of the UK’s most-hated soap villains of all time.
Barbara Marten as Sylvia Chambers
Sylvia is Lucy’s mother, an unfortunate character who suffers from dementia and schizophrenia. Barbara Marten is best-known for playing Eve Montgomery in Casualty, and more recently appeared as Margot in Sanctuary, and Mrs Grose in The Turning. You’ll also know her from a slew of UK crime dramas, from Whitechapel to Vera, Silent Witness and Waking the Dead.
