Ever wondered what goes on inside Number 10?
Written by Sherlock and Doctor Who veteran Steven Moffat, a new six-part Channel 4 series ventures behind the famous black door for what its creator has described as a workplace comedy-drama rather than a political thriller.
The fictional government is deliberately unspecified, with Moffat far more interested in the rhythms of the building itself, from the Prime Minister in the attic to the conspiracy theorist running the basement coffee bar.
Spall leads as the Prime Minister, with Coronation Street‘s Katherine Kelly as his Chief of Staff and Doctor Who’s Jenna Coleman as her deputy, reuniting with Moffat for the first time since her run as Clara Oswald.
Directed by Ben Palmer and produced by Hartswood Films, it is Moffat’s first project since ITV’s Douglas Is Cancelled.
Here’s a guide to the actors and characters appearing in the drama.
Last updated: 29 May 2026
Number 10 cast list
- Rafe Spall as Harry Douglas
- Katherine Kelly as Frances Telford
- Jenna Coleman as Katie Flynn
- Akshay Khanna
- Abigail Lawrie
- Laura Haddock
- Jing Lusi
- Pierro Niel-Mee
- Rick Warden
- Joe Wilkinson
- Robyn Cara
- Richard Rankin
- Rhiannon Clements
- Patrick Baladi
- Shaun Prendergast
- Harry Baxendale
- Alex Macqueen
- Sid Sagar
- Sam Alexander
- Emer Kenny
Rafe Spall as Harry Douglas
About the character: The fictional Prime Minister at the heart of the series, holed up in the Downing Street attic and trying to keep the country (and himself) upright. Spall has called the scripts “a funny, real and thrilling piece of TV”.
Where you’ve seen Rafe Spall before: Spall leads Apple TV’s adoption comedy Trying as Jason Ross, and earned an International Emmy nomination for Black Mirror’s feature-length White Christmas, in which he played Joe Potter opposite Jon Hamm. His film CV includes Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Life of Pi, The Big Short, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, while on stage he has been Olivier-nominated for Constellations and Hedda Gabler.
Katherine Kelly as Frances Telford
About the character: The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, glimpsed in first-look images stroking the resident Chief Mouser on the Downing Street windowsill. Kelly has described the role as “delicious”.
Where you’ve seen Katherine Kelly before: A RADA graduate, Kelly broke through as Becky McDonald in Coronation Street between 2006 and 2012 before leading ITV period drama Mr Selfridge as Lady Mae Loxley. She has since played DI Jodie Shackleton in Happy Valley, headmistress Miss Quill in Doctor Who spin-off Class, Sally Wright in Innocent series 2, and appeared in The Night Manager, Liar and Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Jenna Coleman as Katie Flynn
About the character: Telford’s Deputy Chief of Staff, seen in the first-look images sprawled in a black armchair and glued to her phone. The part reunites Coleman with Moffat for the first time since her Doctor Who days.
Where you’ve seen Jenna Coleman before: Coleman is best known as Clara Oswald, the Doctor’s companion alongside both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi during Moffat’s Doctor Who era. She went on to lead ITV’s Victoria as the young Queen, played dual versions of Johanna Constantine in Netflix’s The Sandman and, most recently, fronted BBC crime drama The Jetty as Detective Ember Manning. Earlier credits include Emmerdale, Waterloo Road, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Cry and The Serpent.
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Supporting cast
Channel 4 has confirmed the ensemble cast supporting the three leads, though specific character details for most have been kept under wraps.
Akshay Khanna
Where you’ve seen him before: Khanna recently appeared in Apple TV sci-fi Murderbot opposite Alexander Skarsgård.
Abigail Lawrie
Where you’ve seen her before: The Scottish actress won best actress – television at the 2021 British Academy Scotland Awards for Sky Atlantic’s Tin Star, in which she played Anna Worth across all three seasons. She has since headlined Paramount+ thriller No Escape and appeared in Good Omens season 2 and Strike: Troubled Blood.
Laura Haddock
Where you’ve seen her before: Haddock plays Peter Quill’s mother Meredith Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel, and starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in Transformers: The Last Knight. Her TV work includes Netflix’s White Lines as Zoe Walker, Da Vinci’s Demons, Downton Abbey: A New Era and the BBC’s What It Feels Like for a Girl.
Jing Lusi
Where you’ve seen her before: Lusi played Amanda Ling in Crazy Rich Asians and led ITV thriller Red Eye as Detective Hannah Lee. She has also appeared in Sky’s Gangs of London.
Joe Wilkinson
Where you’ve seen him before: The comedian and writer is a regular on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, played awkward neighbour Dan Perkins in BBC Three sitcom Him & Her and the inept postman in Ricky Gervais’s After Life. He also competed in season 2 of Taskmaster and the first run of Last One Laughing UK, and most recently took part in The Celebrity Traitors.
Richard Rankin
Where you’ve seen him before: The Scottish actor played Roger MacKenzie across Starz’s Outlander from 2015, and now leads the BBC’s rebooted Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant John Rebus. Earlier credits include Burnistoun, Thirteen, The Syndicate and Trust Me.
Robyn Cara
Where you’ve seen her before: Cara is best known for Apple TV’s Trying, which also stars Number 10 lead Rafe Spall.
Patrick Baladi
Where you’ve seen him before: Baladi played David Brent’s smooth-talking boss Neil Godwin in The Office and corrupt lawyer Jimmy Lakewell in Line of Duty. His CV also takes in Bodies, Marcella, Mistresses and Rev.
Other supporting cast
Rounding out the ensemble are Pierro Niel-Mee (Andor), Rick Warden (Happy Valley), Rhiannon Clements (Vera), Shaun Prendergast (Industry), Harry Baxendale (The Radleys), Alex Macqueen (Seven Dials, The Inbetweeners), Sid Sagar (Slow Horses), Sam Alexander (Sister Boniface Mysteries) and Emer Kenny (Karen Pirie).
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