The Magic Faraway Tree cast: Who stars in the new Enid Blyton adaptation?

Hitting cinemas on Friday 27 March, The Magic Faraway Tree is based on the novels of the same name by Enid Blyton – and with Ghosts and Paddington 2 scribe Simon Farnaby on screenwriting duties, it looks set to be a hit for family viewing.

The film notably boasts a majorly star-studded cast, with Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy and Rebecca Ferguson among those playing prominent roles, as well as a huge number of faces from the world of British comedy popping up throughout the runtime.

Many of those big names are playing very whimsical characters with names such as Dame Washalot and Mr Watzisname, which gives a good idea of the kind of tone you can expect from the project.

Read on for the full cast list of The Magic Faraway Tree, including everything you need to know about their characters and where you might have seen the actors before.

The Magic Faraway Tree cast: Who stars in the new movie?

The confirmed cast list is as follows:

• Andrew Garfield as Tim Thompson
• Claire Foy as Polly Thompson
• Delilah Bennett-Cardy as Beth Thompson
• Billie Gadsdon as Fran Thompson
• Phoenix Laroche as Joe Thompson
• Nicola Coughlan as Silky
• Nonso Anozie as Moonface
• Jessica Gunning as Dame Washalot
• Dustin Demri-Burns as the Saucepan Man
• Mark Heap as Mr Oom Boom Boom
• Oliver Chris as Mr Watzisname
• Lenny Henry as The Great Know-All
• Michael Palin as Know-All
• Simon Russell Beale as Know-All
• Jennifer Saunders as Grandma Frida
• Rebecca Ferguson as Dame Snap
• Hiran Abeysekera as Angry Pixie
• Pippa Bennett-Warner as Hannah
• Simon Farnaby as Farmer Brian
• Claire Keelan as Farmer's Wife

Read on for everything you need to know about the cast and who they're playing.

Andrew Garfield plays Tim Thompson

Who is Tim Thompson? Tim is the father of Joe, Beth, and Fran who tries to put a positive spin on everything and suggests moving to the countryside to begin a new life when things go wrong – planning to make a fortune by growing tomatoes to make his family's special sauce.

What else has Andrew Garfield been in? Fresh off the back of 2024 and 2025 original films We Live in Time and After the Hunt, The Magic Faraway Tree is one of two 2026 films for Garfield. He will also be appearing in Paul Greengrass's The Uprising, though his most recognisable role is undoubtedly as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. He reprised this role for Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, while other key film credits have included The Social Network, Silence, Hacksaw Ridge and Tick, Tick... Boom!

Claire Foy plays Polly Thompson

Who is Polly Thompson? Polly is Tim’s wife and the mother of the three children. She has just quit her job after finding out the smart fridge she designed has been programmed by the company she worked for to spy on its owners.

What else has Claire Foy been in? Foy shot to fame in 2016 when she took on the role of Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s worldwide success The Crown. Since then, she’s had roles in films like Women Talking and All of Us Strangers, and played the lead role in 2025 British drama H is for Hawk.

Delilah Bennett-Cardy plays Beth Thompson

Who is Beth Thompson? The oldest Thompson child, Beth just wants to spend time chatting to her friends.

What else has Delilah Bennett-Cardy been in? Bennett-Cardy's only previous screen credit was in the 2023 ITV series Tom Jones.

Phoenix Laroche plays Joe Thompson

Who is Joe Thompson? The middle Thompson child, Joe is lost to his virtual reality video game passion Mindblast.

What else has Phoenix Laroche been in? Laroche was seen last year in Prime Video series Malice.

Billie Gadsdon plays Fran Thompson

Who is Fran Thompson? The youngest child, Fran barely says a word but is the first to discover the tree.

What else has Billie Gadson been in? Young actress Gadson already has a number of credits to her name – including TV series The Midwich Cuckoos and A Gentleman in Moscow and films including Here, Nocebo and Cruella.

Nicola Coughlan plays Silky

Who is Silky? One of the residents of the Faraway Tree, Silky is a small fairy with long, golden hair who is one of the children’s companions.

What else has Nicola Coughlan been in? Coughlan broke into the mainstream with her role as Clare Devlin in Derry Girls. She has since appeared in Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and appeared in the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special, Joy to the World, in which she played the titular Joy. She's also a key member of the cast of Bridgerton, having played Penelope Featherington throughout the Netflix period drama.

Nonso Anozie plays Moonface

Who is Moonface? The round-faced heart of the Faraway Tree gang who likes to think of himself as the leader.

What else has Nonso Anozie been in? Anozie played Xaro Xhoan Daxos in the second season of Game of Thrones, and went on to play Oberon in Russell T Davies’s TV movie adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since then, he has appeared in Ted Lasso, The Sandman, and recently The Mandalorian.

Jessica Gunning plays Dame Washalot

Who is Dame Washalot? The mission control leader of the Faraway gang.

What else has Jessica Gunning been in? After several years of small roles in various films and TV series, Gunning’s rise to fame came after she played stalker Martha Scott in Richard Gadd’s hit series Baby Reindeer. She’s also appearing in the upcoming film adaptation of Frank and Percy.

Dustin Demri-Burns plays the Saucepan Man

Who is the Saucepan Man? A resident of the Faraway Tree who is a little hard of hearing on account of the fact that he’s covered in metal pots and pans from head to toe.

What else has Dustin Demri-Burns been in? Demri-Burns has appeared in a number of British comedies such as Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Grimsby, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and All My Friends Hate Me. More recently, he had a regular role as Min Harper in Slow Horses.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Dame Snap

Who is Dame Snap? The film's main villain, Dame Snap is a strict, unforgiving headmistress who runs a school where children can become trapped doing lessons forever.

What else has Rebecca Ferguson been in? Ferguson played Lady Jessica in 2021’s Dune and its 2024 sequel, a role she is set to reprise in the conclusion to the trilogy in late 2026. She also recently appeared in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the movie which takes place after the eponymous TV series.

Mark Heap plays Mr Oom Boom Boom

Who is Mr Oom Boom Boom? A bombastic wheeler-dealer hiding out in the basement of the Land of Birthdays.

What else has Mark Heap been in? Heap is a familiar face among British audiences, coming onto the comedy scene back in the 1990s when he appeared on Chris Morris’s Brass Eye. After roles in Spaced and Green Wing, he became a household name with his role as Jim in Friday Night Dinner.

Oliver Chris plays Mr Watzisname

Who is Mr Watzisname? A befuddled character who can never quite remember his own name

What else has Oliver Chris been in? Chris also began his career with a number of small roles in UK comedy series such as Green Wing, The IT Crowd, and According to Bex. More recently, he appeared as James Vereker in the Disney+ series Rivals.

Lenny Henry plays the Great Know-All

Who is the Great Know-All? The leader of the three Know-Alls who claim to be exceedingly wise but are actually completely clueless.

What else has Lenny Henry been in? Lenny Henry has had a hugely prolific career, notably in The Lenny Henry Show, a sketch show which he created, co-wrote, and starred in that began in the 1980s and ran on-and-off for 20 years. With Richard Curtis, Henry co-founded Comic Relief, and usually hosts the annual telethon, while he has appeared in a huge number of TV shows and films over the years.

Michael Palin as the second Know-All

Who is the second Know-All? Another of the Know-Alls, who is also pompous despite his lack of insight.

What else has Michael Palin been in? Most famous for being a member of sketch comedy group Monty Python, Michael Palin wrote and performed in all four series of its Flying Circus TV show, as well as co-writing and starring in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life. Since then, Palin has presented numerous travelogues, and most recently has appeared in Mackenzie Crook’s Small Prophets.

Simon Russell Beale as the third Know-All

Who is the third Know-All? The final member of the Know-Alls, who shares similar characteristics with the other two.

What else has Simon Russell Beale been in? Consistently described as one of the greatest stage actors of his generation, Beale’s theatrical CV is impressively extensive. On the big screen, he played Lavrentiy Beria in The Death of Stalin opposite fellow Know-All Michael Palin, and has appeared in Operation Mincemeat as Winston Churchill. He is also in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, in which he plays Ser Simon Strong.

Jennifer Saunders plays Grandma Frida

Who is Grandma Frida? Polly’s mother, who arrives to assess the Thompson's new life and finds it desperately wanting. She isn't exactly approving of her son-in-law Tim's schemes.

What else has Jennifer Saunders been in? After several years as part of comedy group The Comic Strip, Saunders created sketch show French and Saunders with her comedy partner Dawn French. Saunders then went on to star alongside Joanna Lumley in Absolutely Fabulous, playing Edina Monsoon, which probably remains her most well-known role – but she's been a fixture on our screens ever since.

Simon Farnaby plays Farmer Brian

Who is Famer Brian? The nearly incomprehensible local farmer, who becomes acquainted with the Thompson's after they move in.

What else has Simon Farnaby been in? Having begun his career on Horrible Histories, Farnaby established himself as a writer with 2016 film Mindhorn. Since then, he has written Paddington 2 and Paddington in Peru, he’s co-created and starred in Ghosts, and he wrote the screenplay for Wonka. In addition, he is the writer for The Magic Faraway Tree.

The Magic Faraway Tree is in cinemas from Friday 27 March.

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