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EastEnders icon reveals new Dick Turpin drama with Young Sherlock rising star is "grittier retelling"

From the Square to 18th Century Essex.

Lizzie Worsdell, Kacey Ainsworth and Alisha Bailey

Big Finish

Published: Wednesday, 24 June 2026 at 12:39 pm

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Grantchester and former EastEnders star Kacey Ainsworth has teased what lies ahead in a forthcoming "gritty retelling" audio drama of Dick Turpin's life.

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Big Finish Originals announced the series in March. Set in Essex, 1733, Turpin stars Dónal Finn (Young Sherlock) as the lead character, alongside Jemima Rooper (Kinky Boots, Lost in Austen) as his sharp-witted wife Betty, and Greg Wise (The Crown, Sense and Sensibility) as Captain Tom King, an elegant thief.

Harry Myers also stars as the dogged lawman Mason, while Richard Goulding will voice James Smith, Turpin’s law-abiding former friend.

The official synopsis for the audio drama reads: "Impatient butcher Richard Turpin wants his share of the emerging wealth of the new United Kingdom."

Listeners will get to learn the raw, true-to-history story of the legendary highwayman – a butcher’s son who became an outlaw, a murderer, and England’s most wanted man.

Kacey Ainsworth as Little Mo Morgan in EastEnders in 2001.

Kacey Ainsworth became a household name as Little Mo Slater in EastEnders. BBC/YouTube

Ainsworth, who became a household name as Little Mo Slater in the BBC soap, will guest star as Maria Turpin.

Speaking of her casting, she said: "This is a grittier retelling of Dick Turpin than you may have heard before. It’s a reimagining of a story you think you know – a new spin on an old story.

"Maria has had to make her own way in the world and it’s great to play such a strong character."

Fellow guest star Alisha Bailey added: "Turpin is fast-paced, exhilarating and funny. The characters are full of life, and everyone can find a little bit of themselves in them.

"Mary Rose mucks in with the guys, she’s funny, loyal entrepreneurial and can hold her own in any situation. You’d want her in your corner!"

Lizzie Worsdell, who plays Catherine and has also produced Turpin, continued: "Dick Turpin is often portrayed as a sort of Robin Hood figure, but the truth is far less glamorous. Our version tells the real, gritty story.

Natascha McElhone as Cordelia Holmes and Dónal Finn as James Moriarty in Young Sherlock. He is wearing a suit and she is wearing a jacket, hat and sunglasses.

Dónal Finn (Young Sherlock) will play the titular role. Daniel Smith/Prime

"Dónal was an absolute joy to work with and we all had so much fun in the studio. I’m also really pleased that the story brings more female characters into Turpin’s world, something that hasn’t always been part of the traditional narrative."

Volume one of Turpin, titled Essex Pistols, is due for release in July 2026, while volume two, titled Damned & Delivered, is due for release in August. The complete series is available to pre-order now.

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Authors

Michael Adams wearing a white t-shirt and beige gilet against a white background

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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