Bait cast: Who stars alongside Riz Ahmed?
The Prime Video series has been created by leading star Riz Ahmed, but who else stars in Bait?
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bait.*
While many will recognise Riz Ahmed for his roles in Rogue One, Four Lions or The Night Of, the actor is set to take on quite the meta role in Bait.
The new Prime Video comedy series sees Ahmed star as struggling actor Shah Latif, when his one prospective audition turns into a worldwide headline-maker as everyone wades into whether or not he's the right man to take on the role of 007.
While he's not playing James Bond himself, Ahmed does say that the series is actually all about exploring the "crazy distance between our public and our private selves," as he said in an interview with Deadline.
The series not only stars Ahmed but has also been created by the multi-hyphenate and also features the likes of Guz Khan (Man Like Mobeen) and Weruche Opia (I May Destroy You). But who else stars in Bait? Read on to find out more about the cast.
Bait cast: Who stars alongside Riz Ahmed?
The full cast list for Bait is as follows. Scroll on to find out more about the characters, plus where you may have seen the actors previously.
- Riz Ahmed as Shah Latif
- Guz Khan as Zulfi
- Sheeba Chaddha as Tahira
- Sajid Hasan as Parvez
- Aasiya Shah as Q
- Weruche Opia as Felicia
- Ritu Arya as Yasmin
- Himesh Patel as Raj Thakar
- Rafe Spall as Nigel
- Sian Clifford as Vivien
- Patrick Stewart as talking pig's head
Riz Ahmed as Shah Latif
Who is Shah? A struggling actor, Shah is often confused with Dev Patel but lands an audition to be the next Bond, a career-making feat. However, when he messes it up, he goes out of his way to get snapped by paparazzi leaving the studio in question and thus, chaos ensues as the nation becomes all too vocal about the prospect of having Shah as the next 007. Soon, Shah's life starts to resemble a spy thriller and he has to reckon his public, professional persona with who he really is.
Where have I seen Riz Ahmed before? Ahmed is known for numerous roles in film and TV, as well as having a career as a rapper. In terms of the small screen, he is best known for roles in The Night Of, The OA and Girls. In regards to films, you may recognise him from Nightcrawler, Rogue One, Sound of Metal, Hamlet and Mogul Mowgli.
Guz Khan as Zulfi
Who is Zulfi? Zulfi is Shah's cousin but the two have been brought up more like brothers, if their bickering is anything to go by. He's the determined founder of taxi app Muba and is all about his community, as well as keeping Shah grounded in reality.
Where have I seen Guz Khan before? Khan is known for his roles in Man Like Mobeen, Our Flag Means Death and Stuffed, having also appeared in various shows as himself like Taskmaster, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Celebrity Gogglebox and Have I Got News For You.
Sheeba Chaddha as Tahira
Who is Tahira? Tahira is Shah's mother and is someone who dotes after Shah, even if he doesn't pay the family as many visits as she'd like.
"I would think she's quite the quintessential brown mother, the Asian mother. She's quite high-pitched I think, a little hyper, always vigilant, always concerned about her tribe, her brood, her home," Chaddha explains in a press pack for the series.
Where have I seen Sheeba Chaddha before? Chaddha has starred in various Indian film, stage and television productions like Badhaai Do and Doctor G. She has more recently also starred alongside Ahmed in Hamlet.
Sajid Hasan as Parvez
Who is Parvez? Shah's father, Parvez is very proud of Shah's work even if he does sit at home, watching TV and doesn't see his son anywhere. "He has a lot of common sense and logic and is extremely humorous. I found him full of humour in a very dark place and that's what we really all are," Hasan says.
Where have I seen Sajid Hasan before? Hasan has starred in multiple Pakistani productions throughout his career, most notably starring in Dhoop Kinare.
Weruche Opia as Felicia
Who is Felicia? Felicia is Shah's agent, who managed to get him the Bond audition in the first place. She's intent on Shah making it big in the business and consequently, tries to help him make the best decisions – even if they don't always go to plan.
Where have I seen Weruche Opia before? Opia is best known for her BAFTA-nominated role in I May Destroy You, having also starred in Top Boy, High Desert, Bad Education and The Jetty.
Ritu Arya as Yasmin
Who is Yasmin? Yasmin is Shah's ex-girlfriend and a journalist who is vocal about her criticism of a movie franchise like James Bond casting a brown man like Shah. It's clear there's a lot of unresolved feelings between the pair, though.
Where have I seen Ritu Arya before? Arya is known for her roles in Doctors, Humans, The Umbrella Academy and Paris Has Fallen. She is also set to lead the cast of upcoming BBC drama, The Split Up.
Himesh Patel as Raj Thakar
Who is Raj Thakar? Shah's career nemesis and the other frontrunner for the role of Bond, it's clear that Raj isn't all that keen to be too pally with Shah.
Where have I seen Himesh Patel before? With a breakout role in EastEnders, Patel is known for his starring performances in Yesterday, Tenet, Station Eleven and Don't Look Up. He has also starred in The Franchise, Motherland, Black Mirror and The Assessment.
Rafe Spall as Nigel
Who is Nigel? After his parent's home is attacked, Shah enlists the help of an external security company headed up by the ever-so-chatty Nigel.
Where have I seen Rafe Spall before? Spall is known for his roles in The Big Short, Life of Pi, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Salisbury Poisonings, Trying, Black Mirror and The Ritual.
Sian Clifford as Vivien
Who is Vivien? The museum director of The King's Museum, which has recently been embroiled in its own headlines relating to cultural possessions. She is someone who Shah tries to schmooze in a bid to get on stage at a big event to make a poignant speech.
Where have I seen Sian Clifford before? Clifford is best known for starring in Fleabag, Vanity Fair, Unstable, Everyone Else Burns and The Ballad of Wallis Island.
Patrick Stewart as talking pig's head
Who is Patrick Stewart playing in Bait? Stewart is voicing the pig's head that gets thrown through Shah's parent's home as a hate crime initially. Unbeknown to his family, Shah keeps the head frozen and starts speaking to it as though he's on a podcast, with the pig's head serving as his inner thoughts.
Where have I seen Patrick Stewart before? A revered actor that has held various roles on stage and screen, Stewart is perhaps best known for his roles in Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard, X-Men as Professor Charles Xavier and American Dad! as Avery Bullock.
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Bait launches on Prime Video on Wednesday 25th March. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
