Prisoner 951 cast: Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes star
The four-part drama is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Factual drama Prisoner 951 is based on the true story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen who was arrested in Iran while visiting family, and imprisoned for six years.
Meanwhile, the other half of the story focuses on her husband Richard, who spent years campaigning for her release. It's hard hitting series based on the first-hand accounts of the couple, which has been written by Stephen Butchard and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe.
Nazanin and Richard are played by Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes respectively, while other actors to feature across the series include Nicholas Farrell and Alastair Mackenzie. But who do they all play and where might you have seen the actors before?
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Prisoner 951, and to see images of the cast members next to their real-life counterparts.
Prisoner 951 cast: Who stars in the four-part BBC drama?
Here are the main cast members and characters in Prisoner 951. Read on below for more info about who they are and where you've seen the actors before.
- Narges Rashidi as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
- Joseph Fiennes as Richard Ratcliffe
- Ella Varavipour as Baby Gabriella
- Mana Sayyah as Young Gabriella
- Ava Rose as Older Gabriella
- Bijan Daneshmand as Baba
- Behi Djanati-Atai as Mamani
- Kavé Niku as Mohammad
- Nicholas Farrell as John
- Marion Bailey as Barbara
- Simon Armstrong as Uncle Geoff
- Catherine Bailey as Rebecca
- Shaun Yusuf McKee as Lim
- Armin Karima as Interrogator Seyed
- Zanyar Mohammadi as Interrogator Yazdi
- Hamid Azari as Young Prosecutor
- Claudia Harrison as Penny Madden
- Astrid Whettnall as Monique Villa
- Tristan Sturrock as Jason
- Freddie Stevenson as George
- Alastair Mackenzie as Tobias Ellwood MP
- Sam Troughton as Oliver Denton
- Farzana Dua Elahe as Tulip Siddiq MP
- Melika Foroutan as Narges
- Banafshe Hourmazdi as Farah
- Elham Karimpour as Shirin
- Sima Rostami as Samira
- Vivienne Gibbs as Liz Truss MP
- Christopher Colquhoun as James Cleverly MP
Narges Rashidi plays Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Who is Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe? Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian citizen who was arrested while visiting family in Iran for crime she didn't commit, and imprisoned between 2016 and 2022.
Where have I seen Narges Rashidi? Rashidi is an American-German actress of Iranian descent, who has had roles in series including Hanna and Gangs of London, as well as films such as I Came By and Havoc.
Joseph Fiennes plays Richard Ratcliffe
Who is Richard Ratcliffe? Richard Ratcliffe is Nazanin's husband, who spent years campaigning to get her home.
Where have I seen Joseph Fiennes? Fiennes is known for his roles in films including Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love, Enemy at the Gates, Killing Me Softly and Hercules, as well as series such as Flashforward, Camelot, American Horror Story and The Handmaid's Tale. He will soon be seen reprising his stage role as Gareth Southgate in the BBC's adaptation of Dear England.
Bijan Daneshmand plays Baba
Who is Baba? Baba is Nazanin's father.
Where have I seen Bijan Daneshmand? Daneshmand has had roles in series including The Night Manager, EastEnders, Suspicion, Tehran, House of the Dragon, The Diplomat, Brassic and Coronation Street.
Behi Djanati-Atai plays Mamani
Who is Mamani? Mamani is Nazanin's mother.
Where have I seen Behi Djanati-Atai? Djanati-Atai is a French actress of Iranian descent, who has had roles in series including Tehran and Kabul.
Kavé Niku plays Mohammad
Who is Mohammad? Mohammad is Nazanin's brother.
Where have I seen Kavé Niku? Niku has had roles in series including Tehran and Black Mirror.
Nicholas Farrell plays John
Who is John? John is Richard's father.
Where have I seen Nicholas Farrell? Farrell has had roles in series including Poirot, Waking the Dead, Torchwood, Father Brown, Call the Midwife, The Crown, Gentleman Jack, Everything I Know About Love, The Gold, Endeavour, Bodies, Fool Me Once, The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as films such as Chariots of Fire, Othello, Pearl Harbour, The Iron Lady, Grace of Monaco, Testament of Youth, Legend and Munich: The Edge of War.
Marion Bailey plays Barbara
Who is Barbara? Barbara is Richard's mother.
Where have I seen Bailey? Bailey has had roles in series including The Bill, Him & Her, Temple, Britannia, The Crown, Endeavour, This is Going to Hurt, Obsession, All the Light We Cannot See and Murder Before Evensong, as well as films such as Vera Drake, Mr Turner, The Lady in the Van, Allied and Peterloo.
Alastair Mackenzie plays Tobias Ellwood MP
Who is Tobias Ellwood? Tobias Ellwood is a former Conservative MP who, at the time of Nazanin's arrest, was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Middle East and North Africa.
Where have I seen Alastair Mackenzie? Mackenzie has had roles in series including Monarch of the Glen, Black Mirror, Borgen, Wolf Hall, The Loch, Cold Feet, Deep Water, Unforgotten, Professor T, The Crown, Vigil, Andor and The Bombing of Pan Am 103, as well as films such as Peterloo and Outlaw/King.
Farzana Dua Elahe plays Tulip Siddiq MP
Who is Tulip Siddiq? Tulip Siddiq is a Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate (formerly Hampstead and Kilburn) – Nazanin's constituency – who campaigned for her release.
Where have I seen Farzana Dua Elahe? Elahe has had roles in series including EastEnders, Silent Witness, Broadchurch, Next of Kin, Our Girl, Honour and Vera, as well as films such as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Hundred-Foot Journey.
Christopher Colquhoun plays James Cleverly MP
Who is James Cleverly? James Cleverly is a Conservative MP who was Minister of State for Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, and latterly Middle East, North Africa and North America, between 2020 and 2022.
Where have I seen Christopher Colquhoun? Colquhoun has had roles in series including Casualty, Coronation Street, Fleabag, Vera, Absentia, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Sandman, Patience and Coldwater.
Prisoner 951 will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday 23rd November 2025.
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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.
