The Responder cast: Who stars alongside Martin Freeman in BBC drama?

The urgent response police officer, who is based in Liverpool, is not only dealing with the fallout from the murder of his best friend and prominent local drug dealer Carl Sweeney - his ex-partner Kate and daughter Tilly are potentially moving to London, his dad, with whom he has an extremely strained relationship, is back on the scene, and Chris's mental health is still in a precarious position.

So, just another day at the office, then?

"At the end of season 1, Chris was heavily traumatised," said creator and writer Tony Schumacher. "Lying in a shell hole, soaked full of mud, with his ears ringing. He was dishevelled and confused - shellshocked, in many ways, by the death of his best friend, Carl, and the things that he'd done and the lies that he'd told.

"So, where we find him in season 2 is crawling out of that shell hole, thinking the war is over… only to discover it's not, he is covered in mud, finding his feet, and looking to do it differently this time."

Freeman also praised the script for not sliding into a "comfortable groove" or becoming "formulaic".

"He [Schumacher] just puts on the page whatever the hell he thought needed to be there, and that is exciting," he said.

"I connected with Chris immediately. What I liked about him, and Tony's writing, is that sometimes we can mistake a drama for an essay on how human beings are supposed to behave with each other. That's not what this is, and it is not what it has become for season 2.

"Tony has kept that authenticity and thankfully has avoided any of those traps – which keeps the scripts feeling fresh and the characters true to those we created in series one."

Plenty of familiar faces have returned alongside Freeman, plus some new additions, too.

Read on for a full rundown of the main players in The Responder season 2.

The Responder cast

• Martin Freeman as Chris
• Adelayo Adedayo as Rachel
• Emily Fairn as Casey
• Josh Finan as Marco
• MyAnna Buring as Kate
• Warren Brown as Ray
• Faye McKeever as Jodie
• Adam Nagaitis as Franny
• Amaka Okafor plays Debs
• Bernard Hill as Tom
• Ian Puleston-Davies as Eric

For more information about the characters and where you've seen the actors who play them before, read on.

Martin Freeman plays Chris

Who is Chris? A policeman stationed in Liverpool who works nights as a responder to urgent calls. The job is tough and has taken a serious toll on his mental health. That's also compounded by his reluctant involvement in criminal activity via his best friend Carl, a drug dealer who was stabbed to death at the end of season 1.

"It's six months on and Chris's relationship with his missus is in a bad way," said Freeman. "He loves his daughter, but his marriage is not in a good place. His relationship with his job is terrible and we join him at a point where he's trying to help himself.

"In the first season, we saw him attending therapy sessions provided by the police service but it's hugely underfunded so this time round he is attending his local church men's group run by a priest, Father Liam. He's trying to help himself and find some light."

What else has Martin Freeman been in? After breaking out in the cast of acclaimed Ricky Gervais sitcom The Office (UK), Freeman went on to bag film roles in Love Actually, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Nativity. However, it was the BBC One crime drama Sherlock that really catapulted him to stardom, leading to blockbuster gigs including Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and The Hobbit films. He also picked up an Emmy nod for his performance in the first season of Fargo.

Adelayo Adedayo plays Rachel

Who is Rachel? When we first met Rachel, she had only been working as a police officer for a few months, and was already feeling the strain during her night shifts with Chris. Rachel was also in an abusive relationship, which eventually broke down when she exposed him. But she's not out of the woods yet.

"We left her very much becoming disillusioned with her job and what it is that police officers do and are expected to do," said Adedayo. "Her principles were pushed to the side, I would say. She had made a huge decision to protect herself and step away from somebody who was harming her. But having taken that step, she has no idea what to do next, so she's in a sort of freefall where she's made certain choices and is wondering where to go from there."

On the fallout from her former relationship, Adedayo said: "There is 100 per cent shock there, and I think there is an element of PTSD. Just because she's put distance and time between herself and Steve, it doesn't mean she has moved on. Even though she thinks she has, she hasn't moved on emotionally, she hasn't moved on mentally, and it's still very much in her body."

What else has Adelayo Adedayo been in? Adedayo played the lead role in BBC Three sitcom Some Girls, following it up with another comedy gig on ITV2's Timewasters. She also had a supporting role in the first season of crime thriller The Capture.

Emily Fairn plays Casey

Who is Casey? In season 1, drug addict Casey stole Carl's stash, which kickstarted this whole sorry saga. But she's "doing a bit better for herself" now, according to Fairn.

"She's got a hostel room and is trying to be a big-time drug dealer, but she's struggling, and so Marco tries to help her and set her up with Jodie."

What else has Emily Fairn been in? Fairn recently appeared in Sky historical drama Mary & George, political thriller Cobra and the Suzie episode of Black Mirror.

• Read more: Is The Responder based on a true story?

Josh Finan plays Marco

Who is Marco? Marco is a local lad who became embroiled in Casey's mess in season 1. In season 2, we find him working in a chicken shop, "trying to clean up his act", and he's now a dad.

"In his heart of hearts, he wants to be a good dad and a bit more of a present dad," said Finan. "Marco becomes the primary caregiver for his daughter, Adele, and the series looks at how he juggles that massive responsibility alongside him being pulled to help Casey in her life and navigate some of the familiar situations that we saw them in season 1.

What else has Josh Finan been in? You might recognise him from Richard Gadd's Baby Reindeer and Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman.

MyAnna Buring plays Kate

Who is Kate? Kate and Chris are no longer together when we meet them in season 2, and she might be leaving Liverpool for London with their daughter Tilly (Romi Hyland-Rylands) for a new job and a fresh start.

"We find Kate six months on and she hasn't been able to sustain her relationship with Chris," said Buring. "It's fallen apart. They are trying to pick up the pieces in order to be the best parents that they can for their daughter. She's also giving her relationship with Mullen a go to see what's there.

"They have a long history and have both gone through the demise of a significant relationship, and they find enormous comfort in each other. Mullen can be supportive in ways that Chris couldn’t be, and she is looking ahead to a new life that's very different to the one she imagined for herself."

What else has MyAnna Buring been in? Fantasy addicts will recognise Buring as Tissaia de Vries in Netflix's hit series The Witcher. Previously, she had taken major roles in Downton Abbey, Ripper Street and The Salisbury Poisonings. On the big screen, Buring played Tanya in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts One and Two, while she also starred as Sam in cult favourite horror flick The Descent.

Warren Brown plays Ray

Who is Ray? An old and bitter adversary of Chris's who believes he is corrupt and desperately tried to get him booted out of the force in the show's first instalment. Ray is also now in a relationship with Kate, which certainly hasn't endeared him to Chris.

"We left Mullen in a hotel room, quite sullen and thwarted as he hadn't managed to do the thing that was driving him for that whole series," said Brown. "In season 2, there's a change in dynamics, he and Kate are now together, and given that was one of the things that he was after in season 1, it would appear that he's a bit more pleased with himself and a little bit less obsessed with Chris."

What else has Warren Brown been in? Brown is probably best known for his role in hit BBC One drama Luther, where he played DS Justin Ripley across the first three seasons. He is also known for his roles in BBC drama Ten Pound Poms, ITV bomb thriller Trigger Point, Channel 5 crime thriller Desperate Measures, Sky's action-packed Strike Back and Doctor Who, where he guest starred in season 12 episode Praxeus.

Faye McKeever plays Jodie

Who is Jodie? Carl's partner, with whom he has a daughter. In season 2, she's trying to get his drug operation back up and running following his death by joining forces with Casey and Marco.

What else has Faye McKeever been in? McKeever is best known for her role in Sky's supermarket comedy Trollied, where she played customer service assistant Linda across all seven seasons. She has also impressed in more dramatic roles in the past, having appeared in BBC prison drama Time and ITV dramas Little Boy Blue and Des.

Adam Nagaitis as Franny

Who is Franny? A plasterer who is also an international drug dealer. "He is one of many trials for Chris this season, as he offers him the opportunities to exercise the otherwise undiscovered parts of himself," said Nagaitis.

What else has Adam Nagaitis been in? You might have watched him in historical drama Chernobyl, BBC true crime drama The Gold, British horror series Red Rose and supernatural horror The Terror.

Amaka Okafor plays Debs

Who is Debs? A detective inspector who has a complicated personal life that creeps into her day job – in turn prompting her to seek out Chris's help.

"In the first season, she's quite steely until you see a little bit of softness when she's trying to figure out what's going on with Chris," said Okafor. "They have an interesting dynamic because he used to be her boss, and now she's leapfrogged him and become his boss, making things a little more complicated.

"In this season, you get to see a window into her life and the decisions she made when she was younger that she's now trying to balance in her life. She wants to keep all of that private but it cracks open, and suddenly everything's in danger for her. It's a great plot twist."

Where have I seen Amaka Okafor before? She's appeared in Netflix's Bodies and BBC divorce drama The Split.

Bernard Hill plays Tom

Who is Tom? Chris's dad. He was absent for much of his childhood, choosing to spend his time in the pub.

"Introducing Chris's dad into season 2 was a funny thing because when people comment about bringing Chris's dad into season 2, I have to point out that he has been there in every breath Chris takes, in every thought he has," said Schumacher.

"That man has traumatised Chris to such an extent that he's been there all along. In season 1, there is a scene between Chris and his mum when Chris alludes to an incident of domestic violence when he dropped his Dad's tobacco - his dad has been there all along. So now we have Bernard Hill playing the character that has invisibly played a large part in the show."

What else has Bernard Hill been in? His extensive CV includes The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Titanic, BBC drama Boys from the Blackstuff and Wolf Hall, along many other titles.

Ian Puleston-Davies plays Eric

Who is Eric? A police officer who is partnered with Rachel, who finds him intensely annoying.

What else has Ian Puleston-Davies been in? He's best known for Coronation Street, Sky crime drama Tin Star, Hollyoaks and Batman spin-off Pennyworth.

The Responder season 2 arrives on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday 5th May.

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