Red Riding Trilogy cast: who is in the movies with Sean Bean and Andrew Garfield as classic hits Netflix?
Red Riding Trilogy has become a hit since being released on Netflix this month 📺
- The Red Riding Trilogy arrived on Netflix this month.
- The trio of movies have become a surprise hit again on the streaming service.
- But who is in the cast - and where do you know them from?
An acclaimed British TV classic has become a surprise hit on Netflix after landing on the streaming service this month. The Red Riding trilogy has found a new audience more than 15 years after it was first released on television.
Set against the backdrop of the Peter Sutcliffe killings, the three movies are based on novels and feature fictional characters. Originally released by Channel 4, all three have been picked up by the streaming service and are available to watch right now.
Dubbed ‘Yorkshire Noir’ by some, the trilogy boasts an incredible cast of British actors - including a future Marvel star, TV icons and more. Here’s all you need to know:
Who is in the cast of the Red Riding trilogy?
The films cover almost a decade between them and feature a huge range of actors. Andrew Garfield and Sean Bean are among the most recognisable names as of 2025, but there are plenty of other memorable faces.
Red Riding 1974
- Eddie Dunford - Andrew Garfield
- John Dawson - Sean Bean
- DI Dick Alderman - Shaun Dooley
- Bet - Lynn Roden
- BJ (older) - Robert Sheehan
- Paul Booker - Ian Mercer
- Leonard Cole - Gerard Kearns
- Mary Cole - Cara Seymour
- Sgt/DSupt Bob Craven - Sean Harris
- Marjorie Dawson - Cathryn Bradshaw
- PC Tommy Douglas - Tony Mooney
- Susan Dunford - Rachel Jane Allen
- Uncle Eric - Graham Walker
- Sgt Bob Fraser - Steven Robertson
- Barry Gannon - Anthony Flanagan
- Paula Garland - Rebecca Hall
- Gaz - Danny Cunningham
- George Greaves - Berwick Kaler
- Bill Hadley - John Henshaw
- DSupt/DCS Maurice Jobson - David Morrissey
- Mr Kemplay - Stewart Ross
- Mrs Kemplay - Jennifer Hennessy
- Rev Martin Laws - Peter Mullan
- DCS/ACC Bill Molloy - Warren Clarke
- Michael Myshkin - Daniel Mays
- DI Jim Prentice - Chris Walker
- Clare Strachan - Kelly Freemantle
- Kathryn Tyler - Michelle Dockery
- Steph - Katherine Vasey
- Jack Whitehead - Eddie Marsan
- Aunt Win - Rita May
Red Riding 1980
- Eddie Dunford - Andrew Garfield
- DI Dick Alderman - Shaun Dooley
- CC Harold Angus - Jim Carter
- BJ (older) - Robert Sheehan
- Sgt/DSupt Bob Craven - Sean Harris
- PC Tommy Douglas - Tony Mooney
- HMIC Philip Evans - James Fox
- Elizabeth Hall - Julia Ford
- Joan Hunter - Lesley Sharp
- ACC Peter Hunter - Paddy Considine
- DSupt/DCS Maurice Jobson - David Morrissey
- Rev Martin Laws - Peter Mullan
- HMCIC Sir John Marsden - David Calder
- DC Helen Marshall - Maxine Peake
- DCS/ACC Bill Molloy - Warren Clarke
- DCS John Nolan - Tony Pitts
- DI Jim Prentice - Chris Walker
- CC Clement Smith - Ron Cook
- Clare Strachan - Kelly Freemantle
- Peter Sutcliffe - Joseph Mawle
- Michael Warren - Nicholas Woodeson
- Jack Whitehead - Eddie Marsan
Red Riding 1983
- Eddie Dunford - Andrew Garfield
- John Dawson - Sean Bean
- CC Harold Angus - Jim Carter
- Hazel Atkins - Tamsin Mitchell
- Mr Atkins - Andrew Cryer
- DI Dick Alderman - Shaun Dooley
- BJ (older) - Robert Sheehan
- BJ (younger) - James Ainsworth
- Paul Booker - Ian Mercer
- Leonard Cole - Gerard Kearns
- Mary Cole - Cara Seymour
- Sgt/DSupt Bob Craven - Sean Harris
- PC Tommy Douglas - Tony Mooney
- Sgt Bob Fraser - Steven Robertson
- Bill Hadley - John Henshaw
- Judith Jobson - Lisa Howard
- DSupt/DCS Maurice Jobson - David Morrissey
- Jim Kelly - Gary Whittaker
- Rev Martin Laws - Peter Mullan
- DCS/ACC Bill Molloy - Warren Clarke
- Michael Myshkin - Daniel Mays
- Mrs Myshkin - Beatrice Kelley
- DCS John Nolan - Tony Pitts
- John Piggott - Mark Addy
- DI Jim Prentice - Chris Walker
- Susan Ridyard - Emily Millicent Mott
- Kathryn Tyler - Michelle Dockery
- Tessa - Catherine Tyldesley
- Mandy Wymer - Saskia Reeves
It is impossible to deeply dive into every member of the cast across the three films, but it is truly an incredible line-up. Even back in 2009, Sean Bean was a very recognisable name from his turn as Sharpe in the ITV series - which had concluded the previous year.
He had also had a starring turn in the Lord of the Rings films as Boromir at the turn of the millennium. Bean would go on to appear in shows like Game of Thrones and the award winning BBC drama Time.
Andrew Garfield might be best known to audiences now as Spider-Man/ Peter Parker - playing the character across three films including the 2022 blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home. A year after Red Riding he went on to star in The Social Network as Eduardo Saverin.
Viewers now may recognise Michelle Dockery best from her role as Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey. She played the character across its original run on ITV from 2010 to 2015 as well as in the recent big screen movies - and she is set to reprise it in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale later this year.
When was Red Riding trilogy released on Netflix?
The trio of films originally debuted on Channel 4 back in March 2009. They were released weekly and featured an incredible cast full of actors - including some future stars as well as established names.
The three episodes had a theatrical release in 2010 in the United States. More than a decade later it has now landed on Netflix and it has already proved a hit since its arrival on the streaming service last week.
Red Riding 1974 - the first in the trilogy - has shot up the charts on Netflix in the UK. It is currently the 2nd most watched film on the platform as of July 21.
Have you watched Red Riding since it arrived on Netflix, or do you remember it from back on Channel 4? Let me know your thoughts on the films by email: [email protected].
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