Scripted series · ITV1
Marcella
Detective. Witness. Suspect.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Anna Friel
Marcella Backland
24 eps
Nicholas Pinnock
Jason Backland
24 eps
Ray Panthaki
DI Rav Sangha
24 eps
Sinéad Cusack
Sylvie Gibson
24 eps
Amanda Burton
Katherine Macguire
8 eps
Nina Sosanya
DCI Laura Porter
24 eps
Jamie Bamber
DI Tim Williamson
24 eps
Harry Lloyd
Henry Gibson
24 eps
Ian Puleston-Davies
Peter Cullen
24 eps
Robert Whitelock
Guy Roberts
24 eps
Laura Carmichael
Maddy Stevenson
24 eps
Charlie Covell
DC Alex Dier
24 eps
Jack Doolan
DC Mark Travis
24 eps
David Mallet
Phil Maxwell
24 eps
Maeve Dermody
Grace Gibson
24 eps
Nick Hendrix
Adrien Cooper
24 eps
Patrick Baladi
Stephen Holmes
24 eps
Ben Cura
Matthew Neil
24 eps
Harriet Cains
Gail
8 eps
Tobias Santelmann
Yann Hall
24 eps
Toby Wharton
Ronnie Weir
2 eps
Florence Pugh
Cara Thomas
3 eps
Victoria Broom
Sascha
2 eps
Tariq Jordan
Mr. Yusef
1 eps
Derek Carroll
Jogger (uncredited)
1 eps
Lucy Speed
Leslie Evans
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Marcella actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Marcella reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Tension.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Marcella is shocked to the core of her being when her husband Jason leaves her unexpectedly, confessing he no longer loves her. Heartbroken, Marcella returns to the Met’s Murder Squad. Ten years ago Marcella gave up her fast-tracked police career to marry and devote her life to her family. With the abrupt end to her marriage and isolated from her 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son, Marcella throws herself into work to stop herself from falling apart.
The run
Seasons
3 seasons · 24 episodes.
Season 0 · Complete
Specials
20181 episode
Season 1 · Complete
Series 1
20168 episodes
6.6IMDbBest episode · S01E04 Episode 4
Season 2 · Complete
Series 2
20188 episodes
5.8IMDbBest episode · S02E05 Episode 5
Season 3 · Complete
Series 3
20218 episodes
5.3IMDbFollowing on from the dramatic conclusion of the previous series, season 3 sees Marcella in Belfast as an undercover detective. She has taken on a new identity, Keira, and has infiltrated the infamous Maguire crime family but as she investigates their activities, questions come to the fore about how much she’s embraced the Keira personality and left Marcella behind.
Best episode · S03E04 Episode 4
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E04
Episode 4
An aborted attack on an elderly man gives the police a new lead in the Grove Park killings, while Marcella tries to track down the taxi driver from outside Grace Gibson's house, fearful that he saw her on the night of the murder.
- Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Marston Bloom
S01E08
Episode 8
In her desperate hunt for Matthew, Marcella questions Henry at his home. Meanwhile, the pressure mounts on Jason as Tim's investigation into the murder of Andrew Barnes gathers pace, and the killer is finally revealed, causing shockwaves among the entire team.
- Directed by Henrik Georgsson
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder
S01E06
Episode 6
The killer's next victim is a six-year-old girl, which devastates Marcella, and a DNA match gives the police team its strongest lead yet. Meanwhile, DI Tim Williamson investigates Andrew Barnes' death - was it really suicide?
- Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder
S01E07
Episode 7
Mo confronts Marcella after finding his brother dead, while the detective has her doubts as the police continue to investigate Yann. Tim starts to look into the curious circumstances surrounding the death of Andrew Barnes, bringing him into contact with Jason.
- Directed by Henrik Georgsson
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder
S01E05
Episode 5
Mo holds the police responsible when Hassan is shot, while Marcella triumphs over Peter Cullen and finally gets the information she is after relating to Grace's death. Jason manages to get his job at DTG back - but at what cost? - and deliveryman Ronnie makes the mistake of his life.
- Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder
S01E03
Episode 3
Grace's body is discovered by the police and Marcella tries to keep her head and hide the fact that she was one of the last people to see her alive. Sylvie is distraught at the loss of her daughter and her dismay is further compounded when she learns that Grace and Jason were having an affair, while Henry tries to find comfort with his friends Matthew and Yann. Meanwhile, Peter is released from open prison and makes a beeline for Maddy, who lies to him about having a boyfriend.
- Directed by Charles Martin
- Written by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S03E03
Episode 3
- Directed by Gilles Bannier
- Written by Emer Gillespie, Paul Waters
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Hans Rosenfeldt
Showrunner
Ashley Pearce
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Matthew Thomas
Writer
Camilla Ahlgren
Writer
Emer Gillespie
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Marston Bloom
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Paul Waters
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Nicola Larder
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Mike Walden
Writer
- Photo unavailable
David Allison
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Mark Greig
Writer
Tim Loane
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Created by
- Hans RosenfeldtCreator
- Nicola LarderCreator
Executive production
- Ashley PearceExecutive Producer
Writing
- Matthew ThomasWriter
- Camilla AhlgrenWriter
- Hans RosenfeldtWriter
- Emer GillespieWriter
- Marston BloomWriter
- Paul WatersWriter
Direction
- Henrik GeorgssonDirector
- Charles MartinDirector
- Charles SturridgeDirector
- Jim O'HanlonDirector
- Ashley PearceDirector
- Gilles BannierDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- NetflixStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
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Never stop watching
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