Dept. Q (2025): Full list of cast and characters explored

Dept. Q is a British crime thriller series that premiered on May 29, 2025, on Netflix. Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani has created the series from the Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen's book series released between 2007 and 2021. It is produced by David Brown and executive produced by Scott Frank, Andy Harries, and Rob Bullock.

The nine-part series is directed by Scott Frank and Elisa Amoruso, while Chandni Lakhani, Scott Frank, Stephen Greenhorn, and Colette Kane serve as its writers. The official synopsis of Dept. Q, as per Netflix, reads:

"A brash but brilliant detective (Matthew Goode) leads an Edinburgh cold case unit in this tartan noir by the writer and director of "The Queen's Gambit."

A glimpse at Netflix's darkest show RIGHT HERE

Matthew Goode and Kelly Macdonald star in Dept. Q

1) Matthew Goode as Carl Morck

Matthew Goode plays DCI Carl Morck in Dept. Q (Image via Instagram/@netflixuk)

Matthew Goode plays the protagonist named DCI Carl Morck, a senior police officer who is tasked with setting up and leading the cold case unit, Department Q, in Edinburgh. Carl is haunted by his past where his reckless actions led to the death of a fellow officer and left his partner paralyzed for life.

Goode gained prominence by starring in Woody Allen's psychological thriller film Match Point, opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson. His other notable film credits include A Single Man, The Imitation Game, Downton Abbey, and The Sense of an Ending, Burning Man, to name a few.

The 47-year-old actor played Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in The Crown and the state prosecutor Finley 'Finn' Polmar in The Good Wife. He also portrayed leading roles like Stanley Mitchell in Dancing on the Edge, George Wickham in Death Comes to Pemberley, and Matthew de Clairmont in A Discovery of Witches.

In 2022, he starred as a producer named Robert Evans in the biographical drama series The Offer. This miniseries detailed the production of Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 masterpiece, The Godfather.

2) Kelly Macdonald as Dr. Rachel Irving

Kelly Macdonald plays Dr. Rachel Irving in the Netflix series Dept. Q (Image via Tudum by Netflix)

Kelly Macdonald essays the role of Dr. Rachel Irving, a police therapist who steps in for Dr. Sonnenberg. She works with Morck to deal with the emotional repercussions of his past actions.

Macdonald's first film role was playing Diane Coulston in Danny Boyle's black comedy film Trainspotting in 1996. She went on to star in No Country for Old Men, Anna Karenina, Gosford Park, Elizabeth, Finding Neverland, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, among others.

She appeared as DCI Karin Parke in the 2016 episode, titled Hated in the Nation, from the anthology series Black Mirror. She also played Margaret Thompson in the period drama, Boardwalk Empire.

Kelly earned widespread recognition for playing DC Sarah Weitzmann in the critically-acclaimed show Giri/Haji. Furthermore, she had guest starring roles in the supernatural horror series Truth Seekers, biographical comedy series Urban Myths, and Disney+'s sci-fi series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

3) Chloe Pirrie as Merritt Lingard

Chloe Pirrie seen as Merritt Lingard in Dept. Q (Image via Tudum by Netflix)

In Dept. Q, Morck investigates the disappearance of Merritt Lingard, portrayed by Chloe Pirrie. She is a prosecutor from Edinburgh, who was abducted four years before the start of the series.

Pirrie is a Scottish actress who has worked in films like Burn Burn Burn, Emma, Kryptic, Kindred, and Blood Cells.

She previously worked with Scott Frank in the period drama series, The Queen's Gambit. She is also well-known for her performances in shows like Hanna, Brief Encounters, Troy: Fall of a City, Temple, Carnival Row, and The Crown. In 2022, she starred in the true crime drama series Under the Banner of Heaven, co-starring Andrew Garfield.

4) Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim

An image of Alexej Manvelov from the series (Image via Instagram/@netflixuk)

Alexej Manvelov plays Akram Salim, a Syrian cop who relocates to Edinburgh and joins Morck's team in Dept. Q.

Manvelov is a Russian-born Swedish actor. He starred in the Swedish disaster war movie The Unthinkable and had a leading role in the 2023 film A Day and a Half. From 2020 to 2023, he played Teddy in the thriller drama Top Dog.

He also appeared in the highly-acclaimed historical limited series Chernobyl. He played Alexei Petrov for 8 episodes in the political thriller Jack Ryan and worked in the Chris Pine-starrer The Contractor in 2022.

5) Leah Byrne as Rose Dickson

An image of Rose Dickson from Dept. Q (Image via Instagram/@Netflixuk)

As part of Morck's team, detective Constable Rose Dickson, played by Leah Byrne, is determined to prove herself after a mental health crisis has held her back from advancing in her career.

Leah Byrne is a Scottish actress who has worked in television shows like Call the Midwife, Deadwater Fell, The Last Bus, Dog Squad, and Nightsleeper.

Also read: Netflix's Dept. Q is Scott Frank's tribute to British procedurals (Exclusive)

Supporting cast members of Dept Q.

An image of Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns from the thriller series (Image via Instagram/@netflixuk)

The series also features a long list of supporting characters which are mentioned below:

Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson
Steven Miller as Sam Haig
Tom Bulpett as William Linguard
Catriona Stirling as DC Wilson
Paul Ellard as Press
Aron Dochard as DC Clark
Michelle Duncan as Dr. Fiona Wallace
Kai Alexander as Lyle Jennings
Nolan Willis as Charlie Bell
James Macnaughton as Dennis Piper
Nicholas Ellard as Shopper
Jamie Sives as DI Hardy
Alec Newman as Paul Evans
Kim Allan as Chloe Evans
Angus Miller as Colin Cunningham
Coseama Cook as Child Merritt Lingard
Douglas Russell as Graham Finch
Shirley Henderson as Caroline Kerr
Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns
Jason Alan Staines as Man in Therapy
Patrick Kennedy as Liam
Billy Clements as Ed Soloman
Lauren Grace as Junkie
Lily Knight as Caroline Kerr
Martin Farrell as Police Officer
Frank Gilhooley as The Creature
Paddy Towers as Teenage William
Chris Forbes as Junkie #1
James Watson as Reporter
Paul Candelent as Detective
Conor Berry as Barry
Nandi Hudson as Catriona
Finlay Shack
Deborah Arnott as Reporter
Jackson Reid as Teenage Sam Haig
Alan Berkley as Police Officer On Ferry
Andrew Ellard as Youth worker
Adam Kerr as Boy on bus
James Matheson as Gardener (uncredited)
Ryan James Mack as Court Attendee (uncredited)

Watch all epsiodes of Dept. Q exclusively on Netflix.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by DEEPALI