You know that feeling when a show just clicks? It’s usually not the plot. Plots are a dime a dozen. It’s the people. When we talk about the cast of Professor T, we aren't just talking about a list of names on an IMDB page. We’re talking about the weird, antiseptic, and somehow deeply moving chemistry that Ben Miller and his co-stars have managed to bottle up over four—and now five—seasons.
Honestly, it’s a miracle the show works at all. A genius criminologist with a phobia of germs and an overbearing mother sounds like a sitcom premise. But in the hands of this specific group? It’s something much heavier.
The Man in the Rubber Gloves: Ben Miller as Jasper Tempest
Ben Miller is everywhere. You’ve seen him in Bridgerton as the gambling Lord Featherington, or maybe you remember him dying via an ice pick in Death in Paradise. But Jasper Tempest is different.
Miller actually studied physics at Cambridge in real life. He almost got his PhD. You can see that "academic brain" working when he plays Jasper. He doesn't just act like he’s smart; he looks like he’s physically burdened by how much he knows. Miller has spoken openly about his own struggles with OCD, which adds a layer of authenticity that you just can't fake. When he’s adjusting those surgical gloves, it isn’t just a "quirk." It's a shield.
The Powerhouse Mothers and Aunts
If Jasper is the sun, his mother Adelaide is the gravity that keeps him from drifting off into space. Frances de la Tour is a legend. Period. Whether you know her as Madame Maxime from Harry Potter or from her decades on the West End, she brings a "faded glamour" to Adelaide that is both terrifying and heartbreaking. She’s the only person who can truly rattle Jasper.
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But here’s the big shift: Season 4 and the upcoming Season 5 (confirmed for 2026) have expanded the family tree. Enter Zoë Wanamaker as Zelda Radclyffe, Jasper’s aunt.
Wanamaker is another heavy hitter. Adding her to the cast of Professor T was a stroke of genius. While Adelaide is overbearing, Zelda brings a different, sharper energy to the Tempest family trauma. It’s like watching two different ways of surviving a messy past.
The Police Force: Changes and Heartbreak
If you’re still reeling from the end of Season 3, you aren't alone. Emma Naomi, who played DI Lisa Donckers, was basically the heart of the show. Her relationship with Jasper—the former student who understood him better than anyone—was the anchor. Her exit (getting hit by a car in that brutal finale) changed the DNA of the series.
So, who is left to pick up the pieces?
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- Barney White as DS Dan Winters: Dan has evolved from "the sidekick" to a deeply grieving man trying to lead. White plays him with this "guy you’d want to grab a pint with" energy that balances the Professor’s coldness.
- Sunetra Sarker as DCI Maiya Goswami: She replaced Juliet Aubrey’s Christina Brand. Goswami is abrasive. She’s direct. She has zero patience for Jasper’s theatricality, which creates a fantastic friction that the show needed.
- Rhian Blundell as DC Chloe Highsmith: The "new kid" who joined in Season 4. She’s got a different vibe than Lisa—more modern, less patient with the Professor's history.
The "Other" Professor T: A Quick Reality Check
Sometimes people get confused because there are actually three versions of this show. Before Ben Miller, there was Koen De Bouw. He played Jasper Teerlinck in the original Belgian version.
There’s also a German version starring Matthias Matschke.
Comparing them is a rabbit hole. The Belgian original is darker, almost surreal. The UK version, thanks to the cast of Professor T, feels more like a character study hidden inside a procedural. It’s "Cambridge Noir." It’s cleaner, but the emotional mess underneath is just as loud.
Why the Season 5 Cast Matters
As we move into 2026, the focus is shifting. With Juliet Stevenson (who plays Jasper’s therapist, Dr. Helena Goldberg) still in the mix, the show is leaning harder into the psychological stuff.
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It’s not just about "who killed the librarian?" anymore. It’s about "why is Jasper like this?" The cast is shrinking in some ways—fewer random guest stars, more focus on the core team. It feels more intimate.
What to do if you’re catching up
Don't just watch for the crimes. The crimes are fine, but they're often the least interesting part. Watch the background of the scenes between Ben Miller and Frances de la Tour. Look at how they use space.
- Watch the Belgian original (if you can find it on PBS or Walter Presents) to see where the DNA came from.
- Pay attention to the therapy sessions. Juliet Stevenson is doing some of her best work there, acting as the audience's surrogate.
- Track the gloves. Seriously. There’s a pattern to when Jasper takes them off and when he puts them on. It’s the best "silent" acting in the show.
The cast of Professor T has managed to take a remake and make it feel like a definitive original. That’s a rare feat in modern TV. If you haven't started Season 4 yet, brace yourself—it’s a different show without Lisa, but Wanamaker and Miller together are worth the price of admission alone.
To get the most out of the upcoming episodes, rewatch the Season 2 finale and the Season 3 opener back-to-back. It maps out exactly why Jasper’s mental state is so precarious right now and sets the stage for the family secrets Zelda is about to unearth.