Tall Tales & Murder cast: Who stars in the BBC drama?
Your essential guide to the cast of Tall Tales & Murder.
BBC/ Avalon
- Morgan Cormack
Published: Monday, 2 November 2026 at 11:00 am
Subscribe to Radio Times: 10 weeks for £10, including the Christmas double issue
Based on the nine-book Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell, Tall Tales & Murder is the BBC's latest dark crime comedy landing on our screens – and features a batch of familiar faces.
Ad
Coming from Love/Hate creator Stuart Carolan, the series follows Bridget, a nurse at a Dublin nursing home, and Paul, a young car thief trying to escape prison and criminal debts.
Their lives are upended when a long-comatose patient wakes, identifies himself as a gangster and claims to know where a hoard of Celtic gold is buried. As the pair set off to find it, rival gangsters and assorted criminals join the chase, making for quite the adventurous road trip.
The series – which has already been commissioned by RTÉ and the BBC for season 2 – is led by the likes of Ella Lily Hyland and Aidan Gillen. But who's who in the series?
Read on for a full guide to the actors and characters appearing in Tall Tales & Murder.
Tall Tales & Murder cast list
- Ella Lily Hyland as Bridget
- Casey Walsh as Paul
- Aidan Gillen as Grinner McNair
- Philippa Dunne as Ma Baker
- Packy Lee as Wesley Swanson
- Brian Doherty as Detective Bunny Ryan
- Aisling O'Sullivan as the Matron
- Ian O'Reilly as Waldo Junior
- Darragh Shannon as Young Bunny
- Maria Cunningham as Young Matron
- Patrick McCabe as Chick
Ella Lily Hyland as Bridget
Ella Lily Hyland in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Bridget is a nurse at a Dublin nursing home who is pulled into a treasure hunt when a comatose patient wakes and claims to know where Celtic gold is buried.
Where you've seen Ella Lily Hyland before: The Carlow-born actress broke through as former tennis prodigy Justine Pearce in Prime Video's Fifteen-Love in 2023, earning strong reviews opposite Aidan Turner. Her other screen work includes Williams in Netflix's Black Doves, Marianne Goodson in A Thousand Blows and Audrey Strange in Towards Zero, as well as the film Silent Roar.
Casey Walsh as Paul
Casey Walsh in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Paul is a young car thief trying to pay off a debt to crime boss Ma Baker, and ends up working at the nursing home after Detective Bunny Ryan helps arrange it.
Where you've seen Casey Walsh before: Tall Tales & Murder marks Walsh's first television acting role, with Walsh otherwise being known for his rapping under the name Casper Walsh.
Aidan Gillen as Grinner McNair
Aidan Gillen in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Grinner McNair is a gangster who wakes from a long coma in the nursing home and claims to know the location of buried Celtic gold, setting the chase in motion.
Where you've seen Aidan Gillen before: Gillen is one of Ireland's most recognisable actors, known for his roles as Tommy Carcetti in The Wire, Dublin crime boss John Boy Power in Love/Hate and the scheming Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish across seven seasons of Game of Thrones. His television breakthrough came as Stuart Alan Jones in Queer as Folk, and later credits include Peaky Blinders, Kin and Mayor of Kingstown.
Philippa Dunne as Ma Baker
Philippa Dunne in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Ma Baker is the crime boss to whom Paul owes a debt and certainly won't rest until it's paid.
Where you've seen Philippa Dunne before: Dunne is best known for her role as Anne Flynn in Amandaland, with the character originating in Motherland. She has appeared as Sister Michael in Derry Girls, as well as featuring in The Woman in the Wall and Believe Me.
Packy Lee as Wesley Swanson
Packy Lee in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Wesley Swanson is a gangster drawn into the pursuit of the Celtic gold.
Where you've seen Packy Lee before: The Belfast actor is best known as Johnny Dogs in Peaky Blinders, a role he reprised for the franchise's film. He has also starred in Blue Lights and Derry Girls.
Brian Doherty as Detective Bunny Ryan
Brian Doherty in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: Detective Bunny Ryan helps Paul get work at the nursing home through his connection to the Matron – a dynamic we learn more about as the series goes on.
Where you've seen Brian Doherty before: Doherty is an Irish actor whose credits include the long-running RTÉ soap Fair City. He has also starred in The Woman in the Wall, Blackshore, Resistance and Call the Midwife.
Aisling O'Sullivan as the Matron
Aisling O'Sullivan in Tall Tales & Murder. BBC/ Avalon
About the character: O'Sullivan plays the matron of the Dublin nursing home where much of the action unfolds.
Where you've seen Aisling O'Sullivan before: The Irish actress has appeared in films including The Actors, Raw and The Clinic.
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue
Tall Tales & Murder premieres on BBC One NI on Monday 2 November at 10.40pm with episodes airing weekly and the full series available as a box set on BBC iPlayer from the same day.
It will air on Tuesday 3 November on BBC One at 10.40pm.
Add Tall Tales & Murder to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Ad
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan CormackDrama Writer
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.
Ad
Ad
Get the Christmas double issue
Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...