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Possession cast: Who stars in the Sky drama?
Your essential guide to the cast of Possession.
Sky
- Morgan Cormack
Published: Thursday, 6 August 2026 at 9:00 am
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Possession is Sky's latest limited series, which promises jump scares, a blend of genres and an important exploration of the legacy of colonialism.
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Fronted by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and set between Bristol and Jamaica, this Sky Original follows Claudia, an ambitious mixed-race lawyer who travels to Jamaica to help a wealthy white aristocrat challenge his father's will.
But what begins as a high-profile inheritance dispute soon curdles into something far stranger when Claudia realises the disputed estate, Hope Hill, is the very plantation that has haunted her nightmares.
Created and written by Karla Crome and directed by Jamaican filmmaker Storm Saulter, the series features some other notable names in its cast.
Here's a guide to the actors and characters appearing in Possession.
Who stars in Sky's Possession?
The cast list for Possession is as follows. Scroll down to find out more about the characters, plus where you may have the actors previously.
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Claudia McKenzie
- Jonny Lee Miller as Oliver Connaught
- Sheldon Shepherd as Cudjoe East / Matthew
- Bel Powley as Charlotte Connaught
- Nadean Rawlins as Mercy Stevens
- Sean Gilder as Tom McKenzie
- Olunike Adeliyi as Patsy Dawkins
- Richard Dillane as Eugene Desfriene
- Diveen Henry as Flora
- Jack Bandeira as Kenneth Connaught
- Shantol Jackson as Sarah
- Jeff Crossley as Angelo
- Safina Simpson as Betina
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Claudia McKenzie
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Possession. Sky
About the character: Claudia is an ambitious mixed-race lawyer who takes on a new case that takes her to Jamaica. Having been raised in Bristol by her white father after her Jamaican mother died from postpartum complications, she has a limited understanding of her Jamaican ancestry and soon finds that the trip forces her to confront her own history and identity.
Where you've seen Gugu Mbatha-Raw before: Mbatha-Raw broke through as Dido Elizabeth Belle in the acclaimed 2013 historical film Belle. She has since become a familiar face on both sides of the Atlantic, playing Hannah Shoenfeld in the first season of Apple TV's The Morning Show and Judge Ravonna Renslayer in Marvel's Loki. UK viewers may also remember one of her earliest roles, Tish Jones in Doctor Who, but she is also known for her roles in the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, Apple TV's Surface, BBC's The Girl Before and most recently starred in The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Jonny Lee Miller as Oliver Connaught
Jonny Lee Miller as Oliver in Possession. Sky
About the character: Oliver is described as a "kind, sensible but fragile man". Coming from a wealthy background, he is the primary caregiver to his young son but in regards to his own father-son relationship, didn't exactly get on the best with his recently deceased father. He learns that he's been disinherited in favour of a Jamaican stranger and subsequently turns to Claudia for help.
Where you've seen Jonny Lee Miller before: Miller first made his name as Sick Boy in Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting. He led the US crime drama Elementary as a modern Sherlock Holmes for seven seasons, and more recently appeared as John Major in The Crown. Miller is also an executive producer on Possession.
Sheldon Shepherd as Cudjoe East / Matthew
Sheldon Shepherd as Cudjoe East in Possession. Sky
About the character: Cudjoe East is the birth name of Matthew, an enslaved man and illegitimate son of a British planter who grew up at Hope Hill. Taught to read and write but never freed, he loses everything after his father's death. But when he's named as the person to inherit the Connaught estate in the present day, we learn more about his past.
Where you've seen Sheldon Shepherd before: Shepherd is a Jamaican actor and a member of the band No-Maddz. His screen roles include Ricky in Better Mus' Come, King Fox in Idris Elba's directorial debut Yardie, and Neville Garrick in Bob Marley: One Love.
Bel Powley as Charlotte Connaught
Bel Powley as Charlotte in Possession. Sky
About the character: Charlotte grows up on a Jamaican plantation with a cruel father. When she realises the neighbouring planter who courts her has married her for money, she turns to European magic and Jamaican spiritual practice. But her newfound power comes parallels the pain she holds onto and soon, she wields it in brutal ways.
Where you've seen Bel Powley before: Powley broke through as Daisy Millar in MI High and on the big screen as Minnie Goetze in the 2015 coming-of-age film The Diary of a Teenage Girl. She starred as Anne Frank's helper Miep Gies in the National Geographic miniseries A Small Light, also appearing in Everything I Know About Love, Informer, The Morning Show and Masters of the Air.
Nadean Rawlins as Mercy Stevens
Nadean Rawlins in Possession. Sky
About the character: Mercy is a Jamaican 'Priestess' who makes her money selling fraudulent spiritual guidance. She is Claudia's aunt and although the two have never met, she helps Claudia with her own street smarts.
Where you've seen Nadean Rawlins before: Rawlins is a Jamaican actress with a long career across theatre, film and television, and she also works as a producer, director and talent manager.
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Possession is available to watch on Sky TV and NOW from Thursday 6 August 2026. You can sign up to NOW from £3.99 a month.
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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.
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