You know that feeling when you're watching a gritty British crime drama and you spend half the first episode squinting at the screen? You’re not actually following the mystery yet. Instead, you're whispering to your partner, "Wait, was she in Peaky Blinders? No, maybe Gentleman Jack?" If you’ve started the ITV thriller After the Flood, you’ve definitely been there. The cast of After the Flood is a massive collection of "hey, it's that person!" actors who bring a weirdly grounded, almost claustrophobic energy to a story about a town literally drowning in secrets.
It’s not just about a storm.
Sure, the show starts with a devastating natural disaster in a fictional Yorkshire town, but the real weight comes from the faces we see navigating the rising waters. When a body is found in an underground car park—dead long before the flood actually hit—the mystery relies entirely on the performances of a cast that knows exactly how to play "small-town suspicion."
Sophie Rundle Leads the Cast of After the Flood
Let's talk about Sophie Rundle. Honestly, she’s the glue here. Most people recognize her immediately as Ada Thorne from Peaky Blinders, where she spent years dealing with the Shelbys. In After the Flood, she plays PC Joanna Marshall. She’s pregnant, she’s determined, and she’s probably the only person in town actually focused on the fact that a dead body in a lift shouldn't be there.
Rundle has this specific way of playing authority that feels human. It’s not that "super-cop" vibe you get in American procedurals. She feels like someone who actually lives in the community. She’s vulnerable but stubborn. It’s a tough balance to strike when you’re filming in waist-deep water for hours on end. Rundle actually mentioned in interviews that the physical toll of the shoot was intense—acting while being genuinely cold and wet adds a layer of realism you just can't fake with a spray bottle and a green screen.
The Mystery of Tushar Kanna as Tarak
Then you've got Tushar Kanna. He plays the man found in the elevator, or at least, the man the town thinks they’ve identified. Kanna isn't a household name yet, but his presence looms over the entire season. It’s a strange role. He has to play a "ghost" of sorts, appearing in flashbacks and being the central point of a massive forensic puzzle. His performance has to be sympathetic enough that we care why he died, but mysterious enough that we aren't sure if he was a hero or a villain.
Nicholas Gleaves and the Authority Figures
You can't have a Northern drama without Nicholas Gleaves. He’s basically the king of "reliable but possibly hiding something" characters. Here, he plays Sergeant Phil Mackie. If you remember him from Bodyguard or The Crown, you know he has this incredible ability to look like he’s just doing his job while his eyes say something completely different.
In the cast of After the Flood, Gleaves acts as a foil to Rundle. He’s the establishment. He represents the "let’s just get through this disaster" mindset versus Rundle’s "something is wrong here" obsession.
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Why Lorraine Ashbourne is the Secret Weapon
If you haven't seen Lorraine Ashbourne in Sherwood or Bridgerton, you’re missing out. She plays Molly, Joanna’s mother. On paper, it sounds like a standard "worried mom" role. In reality? Ashbourne makes her a force of nature. She’s an activist, she’s loud, and she’s deeply involved in the town's politics.
The chemistry between Rundle and Ashbourne feels real. It’s messy. They argue like actual family members. Ashbourne’s character reminds us that the flood didn't just bring a mystery; it destroyed lives and homes. She brings the emotional stakes that keep the show from becoming just another police procedural.
Philip Glenister and the Darker Side of the Town
Then there’s Philip Glenister. Legend. Life on Mars fans will always see a bit of Gene Hunt in him, but in After the Flood, he plays Jack Radcliffe. Jack is a property developer. In a town where land is literally being washed away, a property developer is rarely the "good guy."
Glenister is perfect here because he can be charming and terrifying in the same breath. He’s the guy who thinks he owns the town. Watching him interact with the rest of the cast of After the Flood is like watching a shark circle a group of swimmers. He doesn’t have to shout to be the most dangerous person in the room.
Supporting Faces You’ve Seen Before
- Matt Stokoe as Pat: He’s Joanna’s husband and a fellow officer. Stokoe (who is actually Sophie Rundle’s real-life partner) brings a complicated dynamic. He wants to protect his wife and their unborn child, but he’s also caught in the professional web of the local police force.
- Jonas Armstrong as Lee: You’ll remember him as Robin Hood from the BBC series years ago. Here, he plays a local hero who saves a baby in the opening sequence. But as the show progresses, we start to wonder if his "hero" status is a front.
- Jacqueline Boatswain as Sarah: She plays a local politician dealing with the fallout. She’s excellent at portraying that frantic energy of someone trying to manage a PR disaster while a literal disaster is happening around her.
The Northern Setting as a Character
It sounds cliché, but the town of "Waterside" (filmed largely in Manchester, Stockport, and Glossop) really is a member of the cast. The production team used a massive water tank to simulate the flood, and the way the actors interact with the environment is crucial.
When you see the cast of After the Flood wading through murky water, that's not CGI. The physical discomfort on their faces is real. It changes the way they move and the way they speak. It makes the dialogue faster, more breathless.
The show was written by Mick Ford, who clearly understands the rhythm of Northern speech. There’s a specific bluntness to the way these characters interact. They don't have time for flowery language when their basements are full of sewage and there's a dead body in the local car park.
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Why This Specific Cast Works
What makes this ensemble stand out is the lack of "glamour." Everyone looks tired. Everyone looks like they’ve been up all night fighting a river. Even the "villains" look like they’ve had a rough week. This grounded approach is why the show has resonated with audiences. It doesn't feel like a Hollywood version of a flood; it feels like something that could happen in any hilly town in the UK.
The casting director, Gaby Kester, clearly leaned into actors who have a history of playing "real" people. You don't have many newcomers here. You have veterans. People who know how to hold a scene with just a look.
The Layers of the Performance
Take a look at the scenes between Sophie Rundle and Philip Glenister. There’s a power dynamic shifting constantly. One is a junior officer with a moral compass; the other is a wealthy man with influence. The way they occupy the frame—often with water or debris between them—tells as much of the story as the script does.
Navigating the Plot Twists
As the mystery unfolds, the cast of After the Flood has to pivot. Characters who seemed like background noise suddenly become central. This is where the depth of the casting pays off. If you cast a "nobody" in a small role who then turns out to be the killer, the audience feels cheated. But when you have a cast full of heavy hitters, anyone could be the culprit.
It keeps you guessing because you know every single one of these actors is capable of a dark turn.
Honestly, the show handles its red herrings better than most. By the time you get to the midpoint of the series, your list of suspects is probably everyone except the baby. And even then, you’re not sure.
Technical Realism and Actor Safety
A quick note on how this cast actually worked: the "flood" scenes were filmed at a white-water center. The actors had to undergo safety training just to stand in the water. This isn't just trivia; it informs the performances. You can see the genuine caution in their steps. When Sophie Rundle’s character is navigating a submerged street, that’s an actress actually balancing against a current. It adds a level of tension that a dry studio could never replicate.
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What to Watch Next If You Liked the Cast
If you’ve finished the series and you’re experiencing that "cast withdrawal," here’s where you can find these actors doing what they do best:
- Sophie Rundle in The Diplomat: A very different vibe, but she shows off that same intelligence and grit.
- Philip Glenister in Steeltown Murders: If you want more of his "grumpy investigator" energy, this is a must-watch.
- Lorraine Ashbourne in Sherwood: Probably the closest tonal match to After the Flood. It deals with community secrets and historical trauma in a Northern town.
- Nicholas Gleaves in Scott & Bailey: A classic of the genre that features him in a supporting role that slowly grows on you.
How to Digest the Ending
Without spoiling the finale, the way the cast handles the resolution is surprisingly quiet. It’s not a massive explosion or a high-speed chase. It’s a series of conversations. It’s about the consequences of choices made under pressure. The final scenes rely heavily on Rundle’s ability to convey a sense of "was it worth it?"
The show ends not with a bang, but with a lingering sense of unease. The water recedes, but the mud stays behind.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Binge
If you’re planning to re-watch or jump in for the first time, keep an eye on the background characters. The cast of After the Flood is tight-knit, and many of the "extras" in early scenes turn out to be pivotal to the Tarak mystery.
- Watch the eyes: Especially Gleaves and Glenister. They do a lot of "acting without talking" in the early episodes.
- Listen to the weather: The sound design is heavily integrated with the actors' voices. The louder the rain, the more honest the characters tend to be.
- Track the family trees: This is a small town. Almost everyone is related or has a history. Jotting down who knows whom from "back in the day" will help you solve the mystery faster than the police do.
The true strength of this show isn't just the water—it's the people standing in it. The cast of After the Flood manages to take a high-concept disaster premise and turn it into a deeply personal, almost suffocating look at how far people will go to protect their own patch of dry land. It's messy, it's wet, and it's perfectly acted.
Next time you see Sophie Rundle on screen, you won't just see Ada Thorne. You'll see a pregnant cop in a high-vis jacket, refusing to let a man be forgotten just because the rain started falling. That’s the mark of a cast that knows exactly what they’re doing.