Nicola Walker

POLLY

Theatre includes: THE CORN IS GREEN (National Theatre), THE CANE (Royal Court), A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (Young Vic, Wyndham’s & Lyceum Theatre New York), THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress), SEASON’S GREETINGS, GETHSEMANE, TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS and EDMOND (all National Theatre), DI AND VIV AND ROSE (Hampstead Theatre), MRS KLEIN and CLOUD NINE (both Almeida), RELOCATED, FRESH KILLS, SWEETHEART, THE LIBERTINE/THE MAN OF MODE, HATED NIGHTFALL (all Royal Court), MODERN DANCE FOR BEGINNERS (Soho Theatre), THE DEAD EYE BOY (Hampstead), SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO (Sheffield Crucible), A LIE OF THE MIND (Donmar), PASSION PLAY (Donmar & Comedy) and FIFTY REVOLUTIONS (Whitehall)

Television includes: MARY & GEORGE, ANNIKA, MARRIAGE, UNFORGOTTEN: Series I-IV, THE SPLIT: Series I – III, COLLATERAL, INSIDE NO. 9, RIVER, LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX: Series I-V (two BAFTA Best Supporting Actress nominations), BABYLON, SCOTT AND BAILEY, PRISONER’S WIVES, HEADING OUT, INSIDE MEN, SPOOKS Series II-V & VIII-X, BEING HUMAN, LAW & ORDER, LUTHER, TURN OF THE SCREW, OLIVER TWIST, TORN, BROKEN NEWS, PEOPLE LIKE US, THE LAST TRAIN, TOUCHING EVIL Series I-III, CHALK, A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, MILNER, FAITH and MOLL FLANDERS

Film: SHOOTING DOGS, SHINER, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL.

Stephen Mangan

NICK

Stephen’s extensive theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Playhouse), Hay Fever (Savoy), The School for Scandal (RSC), Noises Off (Piccadilly), Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (Duke of Yorks), The Norman Conquests (Old Vic and Broadway, TONY nominated), Rules for Living (National Theatre), Birthday and The People are Friendly (both Royal Court), The Birthday Party (Harold Pinter), The Man in the White Suit (Wyndham’s), A Christmas Carol (Old Vic) and most recently Private Lives (Donmar Warehouse).

He made his breakthrough television performance as ‘Adrian Mole’ in the BBC series Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years. This was closely followed by his appearance in Channel 4’s Sword of Honour alongside Daniel Craig and as Dan Moody in I’m Alan Partridge. He is arguably best known for his role as ‘Guy Secretan’ in the BAFTA-winning British sitcom Green Wing. He starred as ‘Keith’ in sitcom Never Better, in romantic dark comedy Free Agents with Sharon Horgan and as the title role in Dirk Gently for the BBC. Stephen’s feature role as Sean Lincoln in the much-loved British/American TV comedy Episodes came to an end in 2017 with the fifth and final series. Most recently, Stephen reprised his role as Nathan Stern in Bafta-winning writer Abi Morgan’s The Split for BBC One, with new episodes being broadcast later this year. He is also familiar to Sky Arts presenting the hugely successful series Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year. Both shows set records for the biggest audiences recorded for Sky Arts. Stephen played Arthur Conan Doyle in FOX’s miniseries Houdini and Doyle opposite Michael Weston and in 2018 starred in Hang Ups, a series he also co-wrote and produced for Channel 4. The cast included David Tennant, Jessica Hynes and Charles Dance. He has also starred in the SKY One comedy Bliss written and directed by David Cross.

Most notably on the big screen, Stephen played ‘Alastair Caldwell’ in Rush, alongside Chris Hemsworth as Hunt. Further film credits include Breathe, Billy Elliot, Festival, Birthday Girl, A Gaza Weekend and Postman Pat, voicing the titular role.

He will publish his seventh children’s novel next year.

Erin Doherty

KATE

Erin Doherty is one of the most talented and respected actors of her generation, playing leading roles across film, television and theatre. Erin is best known for her break out performance as Princess Anne in Netflix’s The Crown. Erin was a 2018 Screen International Star of Tomorrow and a 2018 Evening Standard Rising Star. In 2020, Erin was honoured at the Newport Beach Film Festival as a ‘Breakout Honouree’ following her role of Princess Anne. Doherty most recently played the lead in upcoming Disney Plus series A Thousand Blows. Earlier this year Erin starred in Death of England: Closing Time in the West End at @sohoplace. In 2022 Erin appeared at the National Theatre leading the cast of The Crucible as Abigail Williams. Erin played the lead in BBC One/Amazon Prime thriller series Chloe, which garnered five star reviews and critical acclaim for Erin. Erin will next be seen in new feature film Firebrand, opposite Jude Law, and in feature film Reawakening opposite Juliet Stevenson, both of which will have a theatrical release this year. Erin attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, playing a range of leading roles during her three years of training. During this time, Doherty was selected to take part in the professional production of Pink Mist at the Bristol Old Vic, and was the winner of The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year 2015. Her debut performance upon graduation in 2015 was as Laura in Ellen McDougall’s The Glass Menagerie, after which Doherty was cast as Tamsin in Katherine Soper’s debut play Wish List (2016) at Manchester’s Royal Exchange and London’s Royal Court Theatre. Her performance was recognised by the Manchester Theatre Awards, naming Doherty as Best Actress in a Studio Production 2017. In 2017, she appeared as Fiz in BAFTA Award-winning writer Jack Thorne’s Junkyard, which earned her rave reviews: “Doherty is the star here, and by rights will soon be a star full-stop” WhatsOnStage. Later that same year, she took on the leading role in Ayckbourn’s The Divide at the Edinburgh International Festival, remounting it early in 2018 at London’s Old Vic Theatre. The Telegraph noted her “luminous central performance”. Also in 2017, Doherty received high critical acclaim in The Young Vic’s production of the one woman show My Name Is Rachel Corrie. The Guardian applauded her stunning performance, marking her out as “one of the year’s great discoveries”. Doherty closed 2017 with a run at London’s Old Vic Theatre, playing the leading role of Belle opposite Rhy Ifans’ Scrooge in Matthew Warchus’ production of A Christmas Carol. In 2019 Doherty was once again on stage in Wolfie at Theatre 503. Doherty’s inaugural television role was as a guest star in the BBC’s Call The Midwife in 2016, followed by the BBC adaptation of Les Miserables in 2018 before landing the role of Princess Anne in Netflix’s world-wide hit series The Crown.

Imogen Slaughter

UNDERSTUDY POLLY

Theatre: For the RSC: The Tempest, Timon of Athens. For the RNT: Twelfth Night, People Paces Things UK Tour, Speer, Look Back in Anger, Abigail’s Party MAC Belfast, Ordinary Dreams Trafalgar Studios, For All Time The George Southwark, Iphigenia, Southwark Playhouse, Peter Pan, Story House Chester, Gravity, Birmingham Rep, Richard III, Cockpit Theatre. For the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest. For the Clerkenwell Theatre Company: Titanic Tales, Baby with The Bathwater, The Merchant of Venice. For the Jill Freud Company: My Cousin Rachel, Far from The Madding Crowd, Fiddlers Three, Not Now Darling. For Suffolk Summer Theatre: Blyth Spirit, Noises Off, Taking Steps, Cash on Delivery, Don’t Dress for Dinner.
Television: Sherlock, Silent Witness, Eastenders, Count Down to Murder, Doctors, The Bill, Elizabeth I, in David Starkey’s Elizabeth I.
Film: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Convenience, The Last Temptation of Chris, The Bench, One Careful Owner

Nicholas Cowell

UNDERSTUDY NICK

Training: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Theatre includes: Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall); Monaciello (Tron Theatre/Naples Theatre Festival); Sixteen (Arches Theatre/National Theatre of Scotland); Gulliver’s Travels, Oliver Twist (English Break Theatre); Running For Glory (Chalkfoot); Man Across TheWay (Silver Tongue Theatre/Theatre 503); Much Ado About Nothing, Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Glasgow Rep Company); The Gin Chronicles (St James Theatre, Interrupt the Routine); Bella and the Beautiful Knight (West Yorkshire Playhouse/UK tour); Love’s Labour’s Lost, Pericles (Flexible Deadlock).

Television includes: Inventing the Ripper, The Durrells, Countdown to Revolution, King of Scots, River City, Taggart and Losing My Senses.

Film includes: Jack, Kat and the Band and The Krays Mad Axe Man

Phoebe Marshall

UNDERSTUDY KATE

Phoebe trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and since graduating has appeared in Witness For The Prosecution at County Hall (dir. Lucy Bailey), the U.K. Tour of Lady Chatterley’s Lover (dir. Ciaran McConville), Comedy of Errors at St Albans Open Air Theatre (dir. Matthew Parker), Macbeth at The Kenneth Moore Theatre (dir. Michael Woodwood), and received a Best Actor Off West End Nomination for Jo & Sam Find Themselves In Woking at the Hen & Chickens (dir. Katherine Reilly).

Her other credits include The Royal Mob (Sky/NowTV), D. I. Ray (ITV), Awakening Unknown 9 (Reflector Ltd) and she has recently wrapped on ‘The Estate’ (dir. Carlo Nero), a feature film to be released in 2025.