Scripted series · BBC One
Taboo
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Tom Hardy
James Keziah Delaney
8 eps
David Hayman
Brace
8 eps
Jonathan Pryce
Stuart Strange
8 eps
Oona Chaplin
Zilpha Geary
8 eps
Richard Dixon
Pettifer
8 eps
Leo Bill
Wilton
8 eps
Edward Hogg
Michael 'Godders' Godfrey
8 eps
Franka Potente
Helga
2 eps
Jessie Buckley
Lorna Bow
8 eps
Stephen Graham
Atticus
8 eps
Lewin Lloyd
Temple
4 eps
Edward Fox
Horace Delaney
4 eps
Martin Wimbush
Funeral Caller
1 eps
Larrington Walker
Street Beggar
2 eps
Richard Syms
Priest
1 eps
Peter Yapp
Old Man
1 eps
Jo Cameron Brown
Old Lady
1 eps
Paul Bigley
Delf
1 eps
Andrew Greenough
Mace
1 eps
Tim Plester
Passerby 1
1 eps
Tallulah Haddon
Pearl
6 eps
Roger Ashton-Griffiths
Appleby
1 eps
Christopher Fairbank
Ibbotson
3 eps
Michael Shaeffer
Dr. Powell
1 eps
Anthony Kaye
African Man
1 eps
Louis Ashbourne Serkis
Robert
6 eps
Neil Ashton
Driver (uncredited)
1 eps
Phil Hodges
Drunk (uncredited)
1 eps
Adam Lazarus
Blacksmith (uncredited)
1 eps
Vinita Sharma
Street Food Seller (uncredited)
1 eps
Terry Wood
Oyster Seller (uncredited)
1 eps
Philip Philmar
Auctioneer
1 eps
Jason Watkins
Solomon Coop
6 eps
Daniel Tuite
Palace Servant
2 eps
Mark Gatiss
Prince Regent
5 eps
Ruby-May Martinwood
Winter
6 eps
Sophie Ablett
Nurse
1 eps
Michael Kelly
Dumbarton
7 eps
Nicholas Woodeson
Robert Thoyt
5 eps
Alex Ferns
Hall
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Taboo actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Taboo reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Serialized.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
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
Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E08
Episode 8
As James Delaney conspires to escape, an enraged Prince Regent unleashes one final plan to destroy him.
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Steven Knight
S01E07
Episode 7
A devastating betrayal puts James Delaney’s freedom in jeopardy, handing his enemies the opportunity they've been longing for.
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Steven Knight
S01E04
Episode 4
Blacklisted, James Delaney sets out to protect his business by any means necessary.
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Steven Knight
S01E06
Episode 6
The East India Company declares war on James Delaney, whilst a family revelation drives him into dark and haunted places.
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Chips Hardy, Steven Knight
S01E05
Episode 5
James Delaney is blackmailed into a dangerous mission, whilst animosity between the Crown and Company escalates to a new level.
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Ben Hervey, Steven Knight
S01E03
Episode 3
James Delaney decides to take radical action in order to safeguard himself from those intent on his demise.
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Steven Knight
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E06
Episode 6
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Chips Hardy, Steven Knight
S01E05
Episode 5
- Directed by Anders Engström
- Written by Ben Hervey, Steven Knight
S01E04
Episode 4
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Steven Knight
S01E03
Episode 3
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Steven Knight
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Chips Hardy
Creator
Steven Knight
Showrunner
Tom Hardy
Creator
Matthew Read
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Carlo Dusi
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Tom Lesinski
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Dean Baker
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Kate Crowe
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Stewart Till
Executive producer
Ridley Scott
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Ben Hervey
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Tim BricknellProducer
- Matthew ReadExecutive Producer
- Carlo DusiExecutive Producer
- Tom LesinskiExecutive Producer
- Steven KnightExecutive Producer
- Dean BakerExecutive Producer
Writing
- Ben HerveyWriter
- Chips HardyWriter
- Steven KnightWriter
Direction
- Kristoffer NyholmDirector
- Anders EngströmDirector
Cinematography
- Mark PattenDirector of Photography
Music
- Max RichterOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- fuboTVStreaming
- Peacock PremiumStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Peacock Premium PlusStreaming
If you liked this
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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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Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
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Never stop watching
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