Who’s Who in BBC One Thriller Boat Story

Janet (Daisy Haggard) 

A down-on-her-luck factory worker. She is unable to do anything to prevent the loss of custody of her stepson Alan because finances are so tight. A seemingly impossible but irresistibly alluring opportunity arises that could completely alter her situation. Janet seizes the opportunity because she has little to lose and a lot to gain. Janet is thrust into a foreign world of ruthlessly violent criminals and untrustworthy actors when she is coerced into trusting a total stranger. But Janet isn’t a dummy. Beneath her warm, downtrodden demeanour is an innate resilience. Soon, Janet has to draw on inner fortitude she didn’t know she had.

Samuel (Paterson Joseph)

Samuel has experience with taking calculated risks. He’s finally admitted to his wife Camilla and teenage daughter Anya that he has a crippling gambling addiction, so they’re packing up and leaving for the North East to get away from the bailiffs. Not that that’s the story he’s told them. He needs to be killed if the secrets are kept. The fateful discovery that Samuel and Janet make together is the glue that holds their relationship together. Will Samuel be able to make use of this once-in-a-lifetime chance to make amends, or will his unhealthy preoccupation with taking risks ultimately lead to disaster?

The Tailor (Tchéky Karyo)

The Tailor is a paradox: immaculately turned out at all times and utterly ruthless. His name may reveal his outward occupation, but he actually controls a massive drug empire from his French mansion. The Tailor becomes determined to track down and punish the perpetrators of this latest theft of a large quantity of cocaine. However, he is quickly overcome by a different drug upon his arrival in the Northeast: nostalgia. As time goes on in the search for the missing haul, The Tailor is forced to relive terrifying stories from his past.

Pat Tooh (Joanna Scanlan)

Pat, a former paramedic, has seen it all and is unfazed by it. Now that she’s retired, she runs her own pasty shop and lives a more peaceful life. That is, until a stranger she knows nothing about shows up at her door, at which point she realises that there is still excitement to be had, but with it comes danger.

Vinnie

Vinnie, a superstitious middle-tier drug dealer in the Northeast, has put in a lot of hard work to establish his business. He has lofty ambitions and is prepared to go to any lengths to realise them. So when an outsider encroaches on his territory, Vinnie vows to fight to the death to defend it. However, his extreme paranoia soon has him questioning who he can trust, making him an even greater threat.

Guy (Craig Fairbrass)

The Tailor’s trusted and merciless sidekick. He is a cold, calculated killer with zero empathy for his victims, and he has proven himself to be just that. Nothing can stop him once he sets his mind on something, so when The Tailor sends him on a mission to recover a stowaway shipment of cocaine, a path of destruction is left in his wake. However, Guy’s loyalty has worn him down after so many years. Does fate have other plans for him, or will he be forced to live in servitude forever?

Alan

He’s Janet’s quirky teenage stepson. Alan, despite his intelligence, tends to keep to himself. He has strong feelings of resentment towards his obnoxious father and longs for his “real mom,” Janet. It’s as if she’s the only one who truly understands him. She shares his peculiarity. Therefore, Alan knows something is up when Janet starts keeping secrets from him.

Inspector Ben Tooh

A helpless cop who is frustrated by his lack of promotion opportunities. Ben gets the chance to prove himself when a catastrophic event shakes the town, regardless of whether or not his boss is happy about it. After collecting a few hints, he sets out in search of the perpetrators. But is he following the breadcrumbs in the right direction?

Camilla

Camilla, Samuel’s wife, is a writer and dreamer who can get lost in her own head. She is thrilled about the upcoming relocation to the North because of her husband’s adventurous spirit. Samuel, however, is in extreme emotional distress and is being haunted by the lies he has told her. But soon Camilla begins to see the flaws. Will she be able to separate fact from fiction and keep her family together?

Anya

Teenage daughter of Samuel. She is not happy to be uprooted from London and hauled to the North East to live in a house her father, Samuel, claims can be improved upon. She avoids her parents as much as possible because she is an only child. Anya is torn between her parents because they try to hide things from her but she is perceptive and can tell when something is wrong or a lie has been exposed.