Miniseries · BBC One
River
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Stellan Skarsgård
John River
6 eps
Nicola Walker
Jackie 'Stevie' Stevenson
6 eps
Franz Drameh
Bruno Marconi
2 eps
Adeel Akhtar
Ira King
6 eps
Lesley Manville
Chrissie Read
6 eps
Owen Teale
Marcus McDonald
6 eps
Georgina Rich
Rosa Fallows
6 eps
Eddie Marsan
Thomas Cream
6 eps
Turlough Convery
Frankie Stevenson
6 eps
Sorcha Cusack
Bridie Stevenson
6 eps
Steve Nicolson
Jimmy Stevenson
6 eps
Michael Maloney
Tom Read
6 eps
Scott Hunt
Fast Food Server
1 eps
Josef Altin
Christopher Riley
3 eps
Pippa Bennett-Warner
Tia Edwards
2 eps
Shannon Tarbet
Erin Fielding
2 eps
Fady Elsayed
Aten Olama
1 eps
Jacqueline Boatswain
Ursula
1 eps
Cathy Murphy
Marlena Fielding
1 eps
Nina Carey
Young Erin
1 eps
Mouna Albakry
Journalist 1
1 eps
Dominic Hecht
Journalist 2
1 eps
Mieke Dockley
Karaoke Till Girl
1 eps
Lee Nicholas Harris
Prison Officer (uncredited)
1 eps
Matthew David McCarthy
Scrap Metal Dealer (uncredited)
1 eps
Steve Edwin
Security Guard (uncredited)
2 eps
Steve Munroe
Moustache Mike (uncredited)
6 eps
Charlie Richards
Assistant to Marcus McDonald (uncredited)
1 eps
Roy Martin Thorn
Police Officer (uncredited)
6 eps
Jane Jeffrey
Tia's Lawyer
1 eps
Youssef Berouain
Youth
1 eps
Soo Drouet
Loud Mouthed Woman
1 eps
Andy Rashleigh
Pub Landlord
1 eps
Danny Darren
Ali Ibrahim (uncredited)
1 eps
Stephen Hawke
Day Club Member (uncredited)
1 eps
Tamara Sharpe
Mourner in Pub (uncredited)
1 eps
Andrei Zayats
Ukrainian Lad
1 eps
Andrew Byron
Ukrainian Manager
2 eps
Amelia Lowdell
Pauline Merton
1 eps
Julian Lewis Jones
Jordy Merton
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How River actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
River reads strongest on Bingeability, Serialized and Tension.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
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
Respected police officer John River, a gifted cop with a troubled mind, struggles to come to terms with the recent loss of a colleague, and chases a suspect across London - with tragic consequences. Now at odds with the authorities, River ends up in a precarious position as he seeks to bring closure to the mother of murdered teenager, who blames him for failing to keep his promise.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E06
Episode 6
The fractured events of Stevie's murder start to swim into focus for River.
- Directed by Jessica Hobbs
- Written by Abi Morgan
S01E05
Episode 5
River and Ira uncover what Stevie was investigating before her murder.
- Directed by Jessica Hobbs
- Written by Abi Morgan
S01E02
Episode 2
River begins to suspect that the man he chased to his death was innocent.
- Directed by Richard Laxton
- Written by Abi Morgan
S01E04
Episode 4
CCTV footage causes the investigation into Stevie's murder to change direction.
- Directed by Tim Fywell
- Written by Abi Morgan
S01E01
Episode 1
Under intense scrutiny, River must battle to keep his fragile mental state in check.
- Directed by Richard Laxton
- Written by Abi Morgan
S01E03
Episode 3
Unlocking her voicemails throws suspicion on somebody close to Stevie.
- Directed by Tim Fywell
- Written by Abi Morgan
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Lucy RicherExecutive Producer
- Chris CareyProducer
- Jane FeatherstoneExecutive Producer
- Abi MorganExecutive Producer
Writing
- Abi MorganWriter
Direction
- Jessica HobbsDirector
- Tim FywellDirector
- Richard LaxtonDirector
Cinematography
- Hubert TaczanowskiDirector of Photography
Music
- Harry EscottOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon Prime VideoStreaming
- Peacock PremiumStreaming
- Britbox Apple TV Channel Streaming
- BritBoxStreaming
- BritBox Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Amazon Prime Video with AdsStreaming
- Peacock Premium PlusStreaming
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Where to go from here
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Never stop watching
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