There have been some major switch ups in the cast of Channel 4 drama The Undeclared War, which is returning for its second season four years after the first aired.
While Simon Pegg, Hannah Khalique-Brown and Alex Jennings have returned, there are some notable absences this time around, with the likes of Adrian Lester and Mark Rylance no longer in the cast.
In their place, a host of newcomers have joined, with Danny Sapani and Chloe Pirrie in crucial new roles, while most prominent is Siân Brooke.
Brooke plays the wife of Pegg’s character Danny, with this season seeing Danny hunting a mole inside GCHQ, after the devastating cyber attacks seen in season 1.
But who else stars in season 2 and who do they all play? Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of The Undeclared War.
Who’s in the cast of The Undeclared War? Full list of characters in season 2
The main cast for The Undeclared War is as follows. Scroll on to find out more about the season 2 characters, plus where you may have seen the actors previously.
- Simon Pegg as Danny Patrick
- Hannah Khalique-Brown as Saara Parvin
- Siân Brooke as Barbara Napier
- Alex Jennings as David Neal
- Danny Sapani as Charlie Francis
- Ed Stoppard as Richard Marston
- Chloe Pirrie as Roz Cavendish
- German Segal as Vadim Trusov
- Joss Porter as Phil Draper
Season 1 cast
- Adrian Lester plays Andrew Makinde
- Mark Rylance plays John Yeabsley
- Maisie Richardson-Sellers plays Kathy Freeman
- Alfie Friedman plays Gabriel Davies
Simon Pegg plays Danny Patrick
Who is Danny Patrick? Head of Operations at GCHQ.
Where have I seen Simon Pegg before? The actor, comedian and screenwriter is perhaps best known for starring in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Paul, the Mission: Impossible film franchise, and as Scotty in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise, while he also had a recurring role as Hugh Campbell in The Boys.
Hannah Khalique-Brown plays Saara Parvin
Who is Saara Parvin? A genius 21-year-old hacker who joined the GCHQ Malware Department as part of a work experience placement in season, but soon found herself at the heart of the team’s defence against a cyberattack.
Where have I seen Hannah Khalique-Brown before? Khalique-Brown has had roles in series including Doctors, Dune: Prophecy, Black Doves, Wolf Hall and Virdee, as well as films such as What’s Love Got to Do with It? and Barbie.
Siân Brooke plays Barbara Napier
Who is Barbara Napier? Barbara is Danny’s wife, who is a GCHQ analyst and previously worked for MI6.
Where have I seen Siân Brooke before? Brooke is known for her roles in series including Sherlock, Doctor Foster, Good Omens, Guilt, Supacell, House of the Dragon, Blue Lights and Trying.
Alex Jennings plays David Neal
Who is David Neal? Danny’s boss at GCHQ, he represents the department at COBRA meetings.
Where have I seen Alex Jennings before? Jennings is perhaps best known for playing royals, in both The Queen (in which he played Prince Charles opposite Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II), and in The Crown, in which he played the Duke of Windsor in the first two seasons.
He’s also starred in the likes of Unforgotten, A Very English Scandal, Gold Digger, Small Axe, The Lady in the Van, This Is Going to Hurt, Your Christmas or Mine, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, The Agency, MobLand, Dirty Business and Legends.
Danny Sapani plays Charlie Francis
Who is Charlie Francis? The head of security at GCHQ and an old friend of Danny and Barbara.
Where have I seen Danny Sapani before? Sapani has had notable roles in series including The Bill, Doctor Who, Misfits, Penny Dreadful, The Bastard Executioner, The Crown, Harlots, Killing Eve, The Diplomat, The Way and Halo, as well as films such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Black Panther, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and The Amateur.
Ed Stoppard plays Richard Marston
Who is Richard Marston? The former defence secretary, who has now been appointed as the new foreign secretary.
Where have I seen Ed Stoppard before? Stoppard has had roles in series including Upstairs Downstairs, Silent Witness, Home Fires, The Frankenstein Chronicles, Knightfall and Franklin, as well as films such as Youth, The Princess and Golda.
Chloe Pirrie plays Roz Cavendish
Who is Roz Cavendish? Roz is a Lieutenant Colonel in the army who is appointed as the new head of rapid reaction at GCHQ by Marston.
Where have I seen Chloe Pirrie before? Pirrie has had roles in series including Black Mirror, War & Peace, Death in Paradise, The Crown, Troy: Fall of a City, Temple, The Queen’s Gambit, Hanna, Under the Banner of Heaven, Carnival Row, Dept. Q and Industry, as well as films such as Emma. and Burn Burn Burn.
German Segal plays Vadim Trusov
Who is Vadim Trusov? A young Russian hacker who in season 1 helped Saara to fight back against his country’s cyber attack on the UK.
Where have I seen German Segal before? The Russian actor is known for roles in the likes of The Red Ghost and Vodovorot, and also appeared in Wolf Hall.
Joss Porter plays Phil Draper
Who is Phil Draper? An employee at GCHQ who works alongside Saara.
Where have I seen Joss Porter before? Porter has had roles in series including Wolf Hall, Humans, Doc Martin and Wars.
Season 1 cast
Adrian Lester plays Andrew Makinde
Who is Andrew Makinde? Prime Minister Rt Hon Andrew Makinde, Britain’s first Black Conservative prime minster. At the end of season 1, he was unexpectedly re-elected.
Where have I seen Adrian Lester before? Lester became a household name in Britain for his role as conman Mickey Stone in long-running series Hustle, while he has also starred in the likes of Life, Riviera, Doomsday, The Day After Tomorrow, Renegade Nell, The Sandman and Ponies.
Mark Rylance plays John Yeabsley
Who is John Yeabsley? A former GCHQ employee who was coaxed out of retirement. He was killed in season 1 and framed for being part of Russia’s cyber attack.
Where have I seen Mark Rylance before? The Oscar-winning actor is known for Bridge of Spies, Ready Player One, The BFG, Dunkirk, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and for playing Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, amongst many other acclaimed and high profile roles.
Maisie Richardson-Sellers plays Kathy Freeman
Who is Kathy Freeman? An American cyber-analyst who works for the NSA.
Where have I seen Maisie Richardson-Sellers before? The British actress is best known for starring in The Kissing Booth film franchise, and for her work on the series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, as well as The CW series The Originals. Since starring in The Undeclared War she has had roles in series including Wolf Hall and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Alfie Friedman plays Gabriel Davies
Who is Gabriel Davies? A genius young hacker, and Saara’s contemporary and professional nemesis.
Where have I seen Alfie Friedman before? The Undeclared War was Davies’s first on-screen credit.
The Undeclared War season 2 premieres on Channel 4 on Tuesday 21 July 2026.
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