Who stars alongside Keeley Hawes in gripping new drama Crossfire?-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

Gripping new BBC drama Crossfire airs tonight, in which Bodyguard’s Keeley Hawes takes center stage as Jo – a character whose world is turned upside down when a terrorist attack takes place during at her holiday resort.

The three-part series begins with Jo sunbathing on her hotel balcony while on a dream holiday with her family, before it quickly turns dark when shots ring out across the resort.

Gunmen quickly turn the paradise holiday into hell as they’re out for revenge, while Jo must do what she can to save herself and her family.

But who stars in the gripping drama?

Keeley Hawes – Jo

Keeley stars as Jo in the gripping new drama (Picture: BBC / Dancing Ledge Productions / Luke Varley)

The three-part series sees, which Keeley described as an ‘uncomfortable watch’, sees her character at the heart of the action, which the 46-year-old admitted was a different role for her, despite having starred in previous action thrillers including Line of Duty and Honour.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other publications, Keeley shared that one of the reasons she was particularly interested in the role was because Jo was ‘at the heart of it.’

‘It’s something unusual in that she is a woman at the center of story, which usually would have had a man.’

The three-part series follows Jo battling a terrorist attack on holiday ( (Picture: BBC / Dancing Ledge Productions / Monika Lek)

Speaking about her character, Keeley added: ‘She’s sort of boxed up, not morally corrupt, but she’s a very messy individual. She seemed very real to me. I could relate to her.

‘We’ve all made mistakes in our lives, and I just related to her,’ she shared, adding: ‘It’s not a comfortable watch. It’s thrilling. But at its heart, it’s about these families and these relationships.’

Lee Ingleby – Jason

Lee Ingleby plays Jason (Picture: Dancing Ledge Productions/Luke Varley/BBC)

Lee Ingleby has previously starred as Detective John Bacchus in BBC drama Inspector George Gently, though some fans may better know him as Stan Shunpike in the Harry Potter films.

His character Jason is Jo’s husband, although their relationship isn’t picture perfect as the show goes on to explore.

Speaking about his role, he shared: ‘They aren’t there on honeymoon, things aren’t going brilliantly and they are in a state of toleration.

‘Something is simmering which we discover later in the script. It’s clever. It’s not presented immediately but you know something is going on.’

Josette Simon – Miriam

Josette Simon plays Miriam (Picture: Dancing Ledge Productions/Luke Varley/BBC)

Along with Jo and her family, her close friends have joined the twisted holiday, including Miriam and her husband Ben.

Josette plays Miriam, and you may have previously seen her in The Witcher and Death In Paradise.

‘What I found appealing about Miriam was that she is in some ways, not as fractured as some of the other characters,’ Josette said.

‘She is someone you would absolutely and deeply trust. She’s somebody who you would confide in. She’s somebody who’s advice you would seek.

‘However you can also have a laugh with her. She’s quite rounded; very centred, caring and funny. 

‘The depths that she goes to and the qualities that you see in her as Crossfire unfolds is fascinating.’

Dan Ryan – Ben

Dan Ryan plays Miriam’s husband Ben (Picture: Dancing Ledge Productions/Luke Varley/BBC)

Miriam’s husband Ben is played by Linda Green star Dan Ryan, who has elsewhere featured in The Government Inspector and The Whistleblowers.

While Ben may be a nurse used to working under pressure, ‘the pressure that’s put on him in this situation is nothing like he’s ever encountered before he’s fighting for his own life rather than other people’s and also panicking because he’s been left with the responsibility of other people’s children.’

Dan added: ‘His wife is still in the complex and all of his friends and he doesn’t know where anybody is. So it’s all those responses that you would never know how you would react in a certain situation. Do you go back in to the resort or do you run away?

‘Your responsibility is to look after these children. He starts failing in quite a dramatic way, which I think is probably unusual for him in his life as he copes under normal circumstances. So this pushes him to the limits.’

Anneika Rose – Abhi

Anneika Rose plays Abhi (Picture: Dancing Ledge Productions/Monika Lek/BBC)

The final couple on this holiday-gone-wrong are Abhi and Chinar.

Line of Duty alum Anneika plays Abhi, having starred in the Martin Compston drama as PC Farida Jatri.

‘I think when we first see Abhi, she’s sort of an incredibly perfect type of person. Certainly aesthetically she’s dressed very well; well-presented and it sort of belies what’s going on underneath in terms of her relationship with Chinar,’ Anneika shared.

Vikash Bhai – Chinar

And Vikash Bhai plays Abhi’s husband Chinar (Picture: Dancing Ledge Productions/Monika Lek/BBC)

Abhi’s husband Chinar is played by Pandora actor Vikash Bhai.

‘The thing that I found appealing about Chinar was that he’s a confident man who’s really well to do,’ Vikash said of his character, continuing: ‘I think it’s a representation of somebody from the Indian subcontinent that we don’t often get to see on screen.

‘He’s done really well with his life and he’s not afraid to go after what he wants and that’s definitely been fun to play.’

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The synopsis of Crossfire reads: ‘A story of survival and resilience, Crossfire is an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting thriller yet also emotional, intimate and relatable.

‘With the unsuspecting holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make monumental split-second life or death decisions, the consequences will linger long after the final shots are fired.’

The drama also stars Hugo Silva as Mateo, Shalisha James-Davis as Amara, Alba Brunet as Bea and Ariyon Bakare as Paul.

Crossfire airs on BBC One at 9pm tonight, and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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