Patience cast: Full list of actors and characters in Channel 4 drama

Channel 4 detective drama Patience is back tonight for its second season – and it's all change at York Police!

The station will be getting an almighty shake-up as staff learn that DI Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser) has left for a new job opportunity, prompting the arrival of tough new boss DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes).

The development has particularly severe ramifications for Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis), who had considered Bea to be both a close friend and invaluable mentor.

In stark contrast, DI Monroe wants Patience back on desk work, considering it improper that she was given access to crime scenes under Metcalf's tenure, despite being neither a detective nor a forensic examiner herself.

On the new episodes, Purvis said: "It feels as though season 2 has been injected with a different sort of zest than season 1 had.

"I think most of that spunk was delivered by Jessica, who brings a real sharp humour and boldness to Frankie, whilst managing to really connect to the tenderness that is her commitment to the York Police."

If you're intrigued to know more, read on for your full refresher on the Patience season 2 cast.

Patience cast: Full list of actors and characters

Here's a brief round-up of the key players in Channel 4 drama Patience – scroll on for more detailed profiles of each character and cast member, including where you might have seen them before.

• Ella Maisy Purvis as Patience Evans
• Jessica Hynes as DI Frankie Monroe
• Nathan Welsh as DS Jake Hunter
• Mark Benton as Calvin Baxter
• Connor Curren as Billy Thompson
• Ali Ariaie as DC Will Akbari
• Douglas Gilmour as Adrian Rawlins
• Tom Lewis as Elliot Scott
• Liza Sadovy as Dr Loretta Parsons
• Laura Fraser as Detective Bea Metcalf (season 1)
• Maxwell Whitelock as Alfie Metcalf-Haynes (season 1)

Ella Maisy Purvis plays Patience Evans

Who is Patience Evans? Patience is an autistic woman who works as an archivist for York Police. It's a rather solitary job, in which she quietly attends to shelves upon shelves of reports and evidence, which are periodically requested by officers for further investigation. However, over time, she has also developed an understanding of criminology and is able to spot connections between cases in a manner that proves helpful to detective Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser) in season 1.

Alas, in season 2, Bea leaves for a new job opportunity, and replacement DI Frankie Monroe proves far less interested in working with Patience – and she's not shy about expressing that, either.

Purvis said: "Patience is fuelled by routine and structure. In series one, she pushes herself out of her comfort zone with Bea and is luckily nurtured by her fascination with Patience's way of viewing the world.

"Frankie bursts in and ironically has no Patience for her. She is harsh and somewhat brutal towards Patience who is in comparison gentle, but interestingly as much as it affronts her, Patience doesn't take no for an answer and pushes back with her findings on the first case."

What else has Ella Maisy Purvis been in? Previously, Purvis has starred in CBBC fantasy series A Kind of Spark and ITV's hit medical drama Malpractice. She also made a guest appearance in the recent UKTV revival of Bergerac.

Jessica Hynes plays DI Frankie Monroe

Who is DI Frankie Monroe? Frankie is the new top detective at York Police, taking the position previously held by DI Bea Metcalf. She couldn't be more different in her approach, however, wanting to play things by the book – even if that means harshly kicking Patience off her active investigations.

Hynes summarised: "She is a grumpy, stern, hard bitten policewoman who likes pastries and motorbikes."

What else has Jessica Hynes been in? Hynes is best known for her work in the comedy genre, including Spaced, The Royle Family, Twenty Twelve, its sequel W1A and, most recently, HBO's showbiz satire The Franchise. Other credits include Years and Years, There She Goes, Paddington 2 and the Bridget Jones films.

Nathan Welsh plays DS Jake Hunter

Who is DS Jake Hunter? Jake is a detective for York Police, who worked alongside Bea Metcalf in season 1, where he initially voiced scepticism over her faith in Patience. However, he has since become a friend and mentor, advocating for her place on the team to new boss DI Monroe.

Welsh explained: "Jake and Patience have reached a really nice place in their relationship. His reservations toward her abilities are gone. He trusts her now and isn't as cautious about how the work could negatively affect her. There's a nice synergy between them. Kind of a big brother/little sister dynamic."

What else has Nathan Welsh been in? Welsh's recent credits include BBC comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, period drama Domina, Disney Plus series Culprits and Apple TV+'s Trying.

Mark Benton plays Calvin Baxter

Who is Calvin Baxter? Calvin is the boss at York Police, who delegates work to Bea, Patience and Jake.

"Playing the boss was a new challenge," said Benton, when season 1 launched. "On paper there wasn't a great deal about him so it was especially nice to be involved in helping to shape him and to bring the character to life.

"When you are doing serious stuff sometimes the temptation is to mess around a little, and I did bring a little bit of comedy to the set and to the character... As an actor I liked the challenge of playing the straight guy this time and being a part of his developing relationships with all the other characters."

What else has Mark Benton been in? Benton has appeared in numerous British TV comedies and dramas, including Waterloo Road, Inside No. 9, Outnumbered and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.

Tom Lewis plays Elliot Scott

Who is Elliot? Elliot is one of Bea's colleagues at York Police. Over the course of season 1, they grew fonder of each other, although their relationship hasn't tipped fully into romance just yet.

Lewis explained: "They start [season 2] in that messy middle space we all know and love; where you’re not 'just friends' anymore but neither of you is brave enough to name it. It's that classic dance – too much care to step back, too much fear to step forward.

"And you try to stay 'friends' even though life is clearly nudging you elsewhere. And I get it! I've definitely been in that limbo myself before - who hasn't? It’s awkward in the gentlest, most British way. And beautifully human."

What else has Tom Lewis been in? Lewis played Thomas Sowden in the acclaimed period drama Gentleman Jack, with later credits including A Discovery of Witches and Redeeming Love.

Liza Sadovy plays Dr Loretta Parsons

Who is Dr Loretta Parsons? Loretta is a forensics expert, who assists York Police in their investigations.

When season 1 premiered, Sadovy opined: "I think she sort of respects and admires Patience at the same time as feeling a little bit contemptuous of and a bit threatened by her, and at first is not very friendly towards her."

What else has Liza Sadovy been in? Sadovy's earlier screen credits include Ridley Road, A Small Light, Outlander and Strike: The Ink Black Heart. On the stage, she won an Olivier Award in 2022 for her portrayal of Fräulein Schneider in Cabaret. She can also be seen in Jesse Eisenberg's acclaimed comedy-drama A Real Pain.

Ali Ariaie plays DC Will Akbari

Who is DC Will Akbari? Another staffer at York Police, who works with Patience, Jake and now Frankie.

Ariaie said of the first season: "Will is not long in the tooth when it comes to being a detective. He is the youngest and most inexperienced guy in that team but he's good at what he does. He's smart and has a good eye for detail."

What else has Ali Ariaie been in? Ariaie's recent credits include Doctor Who chiller 73 Yards, BBC One's cosy crime juggernaut Death in Paradise, Channel 4's The Couple Next Door and Hulu period drama The Great.

Connor Curren plays Billy Thompson

Who is Billy? Billy is the host of an autistic adults support group, in which members can discuss experiences and advise each other on navigating the world as a neurodivergent person. He strikes up a rapport with Patience.

Curren said: "He is very much a diplomatic and compassionate person, working through his own mind by helping others work through theirs – although later in the series we see that Billy perhaps needs more help from others than he leads on."

What else has Connor Curren been in? Curren has previously appeared in Casualty, CBBC's Dodger and detective drama Whitstable Pearl.

Adrian Rawlins plays Douglas Gilmour

Who is Douglas? Douglas is Patience's godfather, who has looked after her since her biological father passed away. He is sensitive to her needs, but also keen to encourage her to strike out on her own.

What else has Adrian Rawlins been in? Rawlins appeared throughout the Harry Potter film series as the title character's late father, James. He has also appeared in acclaimed drama films Living and One Life, starring Bill Nighy and Anthony Hopkins, respectively. On the small screen, you may recognise him from recent appearances in All Creatures Great and Small, Andor, The Sixth Commandment, Mary & George and Moonflower Murders.

Laura Fraser plays Detective Bea Metcalf (season 1)

Who is detective Bea Metcalf? Bea is a driven and determined detective, who notices Patience's knack for criminology after requesting a file from her on a puzzling case. They form an unlikely partnership on further investigations. In her personal life, Bea is recently divorced and shares custody of her young son with her ex-husband, but sometimes work prevents her from being as present as she would like to be.

"Bea is struggling to accept her son might be autistic," explained Fraser. "She finds being a detective easier than being a mother, but as the series progresses, she starts to emerge from the denial. As she becomes closer with Patience, she softens into acceptance, and develops more of an understanding of her son."

In season 2, Bea is notably absent, having left York in order to take a promotion elsewhere.

What else has Laura Fraser been in? Fraser is known for playing Lydia, an accomplice of drug boss Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), in Vince Gilligan dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Her other television credits include The Missing, Traces, The Pact and Irvine Welsh's Crime.

Maxwell Whitelock plays Alfie Metcalf-Haynes (season 1)

Who is Alfie? Alfie is Bea's son, who is having some difficulty getting along at school. He too does not feature in season 2, having moved away with his mother.

What else has Maxwell Whitelock been in? Last year, Whitelock appeared in BBC One comedy-drama Boat Story.

Patience premieres on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 8th January 2025.

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