Further casting announced for Abi Morgan drama

Spooks and Last Tango in Halifax star Nicola Walker has been confirmed for the cast of Abi Morgan‘s new six-part drama River.

River focuses on John River, a brilliant police officer whose genius and fault-line is the fragility of his mind – a man haunted by the murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest. A man who must walk a professional tightrope between a pathology so extreme he risks permanent dismissal, and a healthy state of mind that would cure him of his gift.

Walker, will play Detective Sergeant Jackie ‘Stevie’ Stevenson, a colleague and close friend of troubled policeman, played by Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan) has also been confirmed to play a notorious killer who haunts River.

Walker and Marsan join the already announced cast of Adeel Akhtar (Utopia) as Detective Sergeant Ira King; Lesley Manville (Mayday) as Chief Inspector Chrissie Read. Sorcha Cusack (Father Brown) will play Stevie’s mother, Bridie and Georgina Rich (Sherlock) will play police psychiatrist Rosa.

Abi Morgan (The Hour) says: “Actors are agents of change. They carry the vision of an entire creative team. A show like River needs broad shoulders and I can’t think of anyone better than Stellan Skarsgård to take on this challenge and lead this brilliant cast.”

Jane Featherstone, Chief Executive of Kudos, says: “I can’t tell you how chuffed we are at Kudos to have been able to assemble such a magnificent group of actors led by the extraordinary Stellan Skarsgård, all attracted by the quality of Abi’s script.”

River is being filmed in east London and will air on BBC One in 2015.