Dept. Q cast on Netflix: Who stars alongside Matthew Goode?
The new detective drama also stars Chloe Pirrie and Kelly Macdonald.

Matthew Goode leads the cast of new detective drama Dept. Q, which is set in Edinburgh and follows Carl Morck, a senior police officer recovering from an attack, who is tasked with setting up a new department.
The titular department is charged with investigating high profile cold cases and, more by accident than design, Carl starts to build a gang of waifs to pull it all together.
All nine episodes are now available to stream on Netflix, but who else stars with Goode, who do they all play and what might you have seen them in before?
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Dept. Q.
Who's in the cast of Dept. Q? Full list of characters in the Netflix drama
The main cast for Dept. Q is as follows. Scroll on to find out more about the characters, plus where you may have seen the actors previously.
- Matthew Goode as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck
- Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard
- Jamie Sives as Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy
- Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
- Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
- Leah Byrne as Detective Constable Rose Dickson
- Kate Dickie as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson
- Shirley Henderson as Claire Marsh
- Kelly Macdonald as Dr Rachel Irving
- Tom Bulpett as William Lingard
Matthew Goode plays Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck

Who is Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck? Morck is a brilliant English detective, based in Edinburgh, who is returning to the force after an attack which left his partner paralysed and another police officer dead. He is assigned to lead a new cold case unit, Department Q.
Where have I seen Matthew Goode before? Goode is known for his roles in films including Watchmen, A Single Man, Cemetery Junction, The Imitation Game, Official Secrets, The Duke, The King's Man and Abigail, as well as series such as Dancing on the Edge, Ordeal by Innocence, The Good Wife, Downton Abbey, The Crown, A Discovery of Witches and The Offer.
Chloe Pirrie plays Merritt Lingard

Who is Merritt Lingard? Merritt is an ambitious and successful prosecutor, based in Edinburgh.
Where have I seen Chloe Pirrie before? Pirrie has had roles in series including Black Mirror, War & Peace, Death in Paradise, The Crown, Troy: Fall of a City, Temple, The Queen's Gambit, Hanna, Under the Banner of Heaven, Carnival Row and Industry, as well as films such as Emma. and Burn Burn Burn.
Jamie Sives plays Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy

Who is Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy? Hardy is Morck's former partner, who has been left paralysed following an attack.
Where have I seen Jamie Sives before? Sives is known for his roles in series such as Game of Thrones, Frontier, Guilt, Chernobyl, Doctor Who, Crime, Annika and Shetland, as well as in films such as Wild Rose.
Mark Bonnar plays Stephen Burns

Who is Stephen Burns? Stephen is the Lord Advocate, the senior legal officer of the Scottish Government.
Where have I seen Mark Bonnar before? Bonnar is known for his roles in series such as Casualty, Line of Duty, Shetland, Catastrophe, Humans, Apple Tree Yard, Porridge, Doctor Who, Litvinenko, The Rig, Guilt, World on Fire, Murder is Easy, Inside No. 9 and Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, as well as films including Napoleon.
Alexej Manvelov plays Akram Salim

Who is Akram Salim? Akram is a Syrian refugee, who was previously rising through the ranks in his home country's police force. Now in Edinburgh, he talks his way into becoming Morck's assistant.
Where have I seen Alexej Manvelov before? Swedish actor Manvelov has had roles in a number of projects, including English-language series and films such as Chernobyl, The Contractor and Jack Ryan.
Leah Byrne plays Detective Constable Rose Dickson

Who is Detective Constable Rose Dickson? Dickson if an officer whose well-known mental-health-related breakdown has stunted her career, leaving her desk-bound for some time. She sees the development of Department Q as her opportunity to progress.
Where have I seen Leah Byrne before? Byrne has had roles in series including Deadwater Fell, Call the Midwife and Nightsleeper.
Kate Dickie plays Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson

Who is Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson? Moira is Morck's boss in the police, who assigns him with setting up Department Q.
Where have I seen Kate Dickie before? Dickie is known for her roles in series including Game of Thrones, The Cry, The Nest, Inside Man, Loki, Annika, Boat Story and Day of the Jackal. She has also had roles in films such as Prometheus, The Witch, The Green Knight, The Northman and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Shirley Henderson plays Claire Marsh

Who is Claire Marsh? Claire is William's carer, who has a testy relationship with Merritt.
Where have I seen Shirley Henderson before? Henderson is best-known for her roles as Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter film series, as Jude in Bridget Jones's Diary and as Gail in Trainspotting. She has also appeared in Anna Karenina, Filth, Okja, Greed, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Happy Valley, The Mandalorian, Tom Jones and Doctor Who.
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Kelly Macdonald plays Dr Rachel Irving

Who is Dr Rachel Irving? Rachel is a temporary stand in for the in-house police therapist, who Morck is forced to attend sessions with after the attack.
Where have I seen Kelly Macdonald before? Macdonald is known for her roles in films such as Trainspotting, Elizabeth, Gosford Park, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Nanny McPhee, No Country for Old Men, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Brave, Anna Karenina, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Operation Mincemeat, I Came By and The Radleys, as well as series including State of Play, Boardwalk Empire, Black Mirror, Giri/Haji, Line of Duty and Skeleton Crew.
Tom Bulpett plays William Lingard
Who is William Lingard? William is Merritt's brother.
Where have I seen Tom Bulpett before? Bulpett has previously had roles in Quiz, Casualty and Father Brown.
Dept. Q is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.