Meet the cast of The Outlaws
Stephen Merchant's comedy-drama returns for a second season, with all the cast coming back.
Stephen Merchant's hit comedy-drama series The Outlaws is returning to BBC One, and fans don't have long to wait to find out just how the gang's actions in season 1 might catch up with them.
Season 2 starts on 5th June and sees Rhianne Barreto, Christopher Walken, Gamba Cole, Eleanor Tomlinson and the rest of the cast all return, while Merchant is also back in his supporting role as Greg.
The new season also sees guest stars Claes Bang and Dolly Wells return, while we can't rule out a re-appearance from Gabby's father as played by the one and only Richard E Grant.
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of BBC One's The Outlaws as we head towards season 2.
Rhianne Barreto plays Rani
Who is Rani? Rani is an intelligent A-Level student who had secured a full scholarship to study at Oxford University when she was caught shoplifting and sentenced with a community service order.
More like this
What else has Rhianne Barreto been in? Barreto appeared opposite Keeley Hawes in ITV's hard-hitting factual drama Honour in 2020. She has also appeared in Amazon Prime Video's Hanna and early lockdown experiment Isolation Stories.
Stephen Merchant plays Greg
Who is Greg? Greg is a lawyer who is part of Rani's group of offenders, who have been tasked with turning a dilapidated old building into a community centre for the people of Bristol. He is socially awkward and is going through a divorce.
What else has Stephen Merchant been in? Merchant rose to fame for his collaborations with former writing partner Rickey Gervais, with whom he co-created The Office, Extras and Life's Too Short. Since they went their separate ways, he has had starring roles in HBO's Hello Ladies, Marvel's Logan and awards contender Jojo Rabbit.
Christopher Walken plays Frank
Who is Frank? Frank is a veteran criminal who has been in and out of the prison system for much of his life, which has made him a very absent father to daughter, Margaret.
What else has Christopher Walken been in? Walken is a very prolific actor who has worked on some iconic Hollywood movies, including The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction and Catch Me If You Can. More recently, he lent his voice to King Louie in Disney's live-action remake of The Jungle Book, and appeared opposite Robert DeNiro in The War with Grandpa.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Gamba Cole plays Christian
Who is Christian? Christian is another member of the community service group, who is desperately trying to keep himself and his younger sister out of the dangerous criminal gangs that operate near his apartment building. In season 1 he quickly formed a friendship with Rani.
What else has Gamba Cole been in? Cole's previous projects include Amazon Prime Video's streaming remake of Hanna, Netflix's acclaimed horror flick His House, and Sky fantasy series A Discovery of Witches.
Darren Boyd plays John
Who is John? John is a local businessman who is under a lot of pressure with his family business and who considers community service to be beneath him.
What else has Darren Boyd been in? Boyd is a familiar face on British television, having previously starred in several projects for Sky, including Spy, Fortitude and Stan Lee's Lucky Man. More recently, he has appeared in Killing Eve and The Salisbury Poisonings, while his big screen work includes Bridget Jones's Baby and The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Clare Perkins plays Myrna
Who is Myrna? Myrna is another member of the community service group. She has left-wing political values and often clashes with John, whose own beliefs skew further to the right.
What else has Clare Perkins been in? Perkins is known for her soap opera work, having played Denise Boulter in Channel 5's Family Affairs and Ava Hartman in BBC One's EastEnders. She was also recently seen in Amazon Prime Video's fantasy drama The Wheel of Time.
Eleanor Tomlinson plays Gabby
Who is Gabby? Gabby is the wild daughter of a British Earl, who has become a tabloid sensation for her appearances on reality television shows and frequent scandals, the latest of which has landed her in this community service programme.
What else has Eleanor Tomlinson been in? Tomlinson is best known for playing Demelza in BBC One's recent Poldark adaptation, where she starred opposite Aidan Turner. This has been a busy year for her, having already starred in Sky Atlantic's The Nevers and sci-fi drama Intergalactic.
Jessica Gunning plays Diana
Who is Diana? Diana is the probation officer who supervises the group as they put in their community service hours. She's determined to keep them in line and is willing to use some harsh punishments in order to do so.
What else has Jessica Gunning been in? Last year Gunning returned as pub barmaid Jan in the second series of David Mitchell and Robert Webb's sitcom Back. Her other projects include Prime Suspect 1973, Fortitude, Inside No. 9 and Law & Order: UK.
Dolly Wells plays Margaret
Who is Margaret? Margaret is the daughter of Frank, who has had a difficult life due to his complete lack of support over the years. She reluctantly lets him stay at her home for the duration of his community service.
What else has Dolly Wells been in? Wells earned praise in 2020 for her performance as Van Helsing in Steven Moffat's reimagined version of Dracula, following it up with the role of Aunt Sadie in BBC One's The Pursuit of Love. Previously, she has made appearances in hit sitcoms Peep Show and The IT Crowd.
Nina Wadia plays Shanthi
Who is Shanthi? Shanthi is Rani's mother, who loves her dearly and is incredibly proud of her for getting into Oxford University on a full scholarship. When her daughter gets in trouble for shoplifting, she becomes extremely concerned that this brilliant opportunity will slip away from her.
What else has Nina Wadia been in? Wadia is known for her work on BBC soap opera EastEnders, where she played Zainab Masood for a period of six years. She has also worked in several comedy projects including Goodness Gracious Me and Still Open All Hours, as well as having a small role in Disney's recent live-action remake of Aladdin. In 2021, she competed in Strictly Come Dancing but was the first celebrity to be voted off.
Ian McElhinney plays John Snr
Who is John Snr? John Snr is the father of John, who founded their family business many years ago to pass onto his son. He has always belittled John and underestimated his abilities.
What else has Ian McElhinney been in? McElhinney portrayed Ser Barristan Selmy in the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones, while he also plays Granda Joe in acclaimed Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls. His other recent projects include divorce drama The Split and Jed Mercurio-produced thriller Bloodlands.
Charles Babalola plays Malaki
Who is Malaki? Malaki is involved in one of Bristol's criminal gangs. He lives in the same apartment block as Christian, who got pulled back into working for him in season 1.
What else has Charles Babalola been in? Babalola's previous projects include BBC One's Silent Witness and ITV's Bancroft.
Claes Bang plays Dean
Who is Dean? Dean is a mysterious and dangerous London crime boss, who the group has the misfortune of crossing paths with.
What else has Claes Bang been in? The Danish actor will be best known to British viewers for playing the eponymous role of Dracula in Steven Moffat's three-part adaptation. He has also appeared in drama series The Affair and Claire Foy thriller The Girl in the Spider's Web.
Richard E Grant plays The Earl
Who is The Earl? The Earl is Gabby's emotionally unavailable, cold-hearted father.
What else has Richard E Grant been in? Earlier this year, Grant joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Classic Loki in Tom Hiddleston's mega-hit Disney Plus series. On the big screen, he is known for Logan, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Can You Ever Forgive Me, the last of which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
The Outlaws season 2 will air on BBC One on 5th June, with all episodes arriving on BBC iPlayer. Season 1 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
