Skins and Game of Thrones favourite's role in The Capture finally revealed – as creator teases season 3 role

*Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Capture season 3, episode 1*

Still catching your breath after The Capture's season 3 premiere? We can't blame you – the first episode of the BBC thriller in almost four years had it all, from the shocking demise of an established character to a surprising first glimpse at a Skins and Game of Thrones favourite.

The opener initially saw Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) riding high – appointed acting Commander of Counter Terrorism Command and about to unveil a new technological breakthrough that could put pay to the threat of the covert video manipulation programme "Correction" for good.

But by the time the credits rolled, everything had fallen apart – Rachel's promotion was ripped away, her close ally Isaac Turner (Paapa Essiedu) had been assassinated, and her new boss and the man who pulled the trigger were apparently revealed to be one-and-the-same, Noah Pierson (Killian Scott).

But eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed another twist in the tale – the security footage of Isaac's killing, apparently adjusted using Correction, did not show Noah as the gunman, but another, as yet-unknown-character played by Joe Dempsie.

Dempsie's casting in the new season of The Capture was announced back in April 2025, but details of who he was playing were kept under wraps – and now it's clear why!

Speaking at a recent press screening, series creator/writer Ben Chanan said: "I love Joe Dempsie – to cast him in that role was an absolute dream. He was my absolute first choice, and we got him. I was very, very excited."

But why is Dempsie's character being used as a patsy for someone else's crime? Chanan would only reveal that he "comes into the story a lot more than you've seen him so far", while The Capture's executive producer Rosie Alison teased that the arc of this new character has parallels with that of Isaac Turner and season 1's Shaun Emery (Callum Turner).

"In the first three seasons of The Capture, you've sometimes seen people who somehow find themselves manipulated by deep fakes," said Alison. "That’s what happened to Shaun, and it happened to Isaac, and poor old Joe Dempsie also possibly finds himself as somebody who has that very relatable thing of... 'my God, what happens if somebody somehow fakes my life?' So that strain comes through with Joe."

Alongside Dempsie, other new additions joining the cast include Hugh Quarshie, Linus Roache, Jonathan Aris, Andrew Buchan and Amanda Drew.

They join Holliday Grainger and other returning stars Indira Varma (Khadija Khan), Ben Miles (Danny Hart), Ron Perlman (Frank Napier) and Lia Williams (Gemma Garland).

The first episode of The Capture season 3 is available now on BBC iPlayer – new instalments will be released at 6am every Sunday, before airing on BBC One at 9pm the same evening.

Read more: The Capture season 2 ending explained: Does Correction get exposed?

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