Netflix's new crime thriller Black Doves is a sleek British spy drama that needs to be on your list of must-watch TV shows. Created by Giri/Haji director Joe Barton, the six-episode series stars Keira Knightley as Helen, a politician's wife in contemporary London...who married him to feed state secrets to a shadowy organization called the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, Helen and Sam—her old friend called back from a self-imposed exile, played by Ben Whishaw—uncover a vast geopolitical conspiracy while investigating the man's death.
To fill out the twisted fictional underworld of modern-day London, the series gathered a cast of stars who'll be familiar faces to British TV and film fans, from Pride and Prejudice and Paddington to Bridgerton and The Crown. Read on to learn more about the cast of Black Doves.
Keira Knightley as Helen Webb
On the surface, Helen Webb appears as a perfect wife to political Wallace and the ideal mother to twins Oliver and Jacqueline. But she's secretly a Black Dove, stealing secrets from her husband and passing them on to her employers. When her secret lover Jason is shot dead by a sniper, she’s determined to find whoever killed him.
Keira Knightley, 39, has been known as the queen of the period piece since her breakout roles in Pride and Prejudice and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (though who could forget her early contemporary hits like '00s favorites Bend it Like Beckham and Love Actually). Her other notable roles include 2007's Atonement, 2008's The Duchess, 2010's Never Let Me Go, 2012's Anna Karenina, 2013's Begin Again, and 2014's The Imitation Game.
Black Doves is the actress's second project since taking an extended break from acting during the pandemic and follows 2023's Boston Strangler. Knightley married her husband, musician James Righton, in 2013, and they share two daughters.
Ben Whishaw as Sam
Sam is a lethal assassin and a natural killer, but he has never been able to shut out his conscience. 10 years ago, he was brought in to train Helen and she became his closest friend. At the start of Black Doves, Sam is called back to London after an extended exile, to help Helen investigate Jason's killer.
Ben Whishaw, 44, is a critically acclaimed English actor best known for playing tech master Q in the James Bond movies starring Daniel Craig, as well as voicing the beloved bear Paddington. His shows and films include 2001's My Brother Tom, 2006's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, 2015's The Lobster, 2018's Mary Poppins Returns, AMC's This Is Going to Hurt, 2022's Women Talking, and 2023's Passages. The openly gay actor was previously married to Australian composer Mark Bradshaw from 2012 to 2022.
Sarah Lancashire as Reed
Reed, Helen’s handler and Sam’s occasional boss, works in the leadership of the Black Doves. As she explains to Helen, she aims to make money selling secrets to the highest bidder, and she doesn't care whether her clients are good or evil.
Sarah Lancashire, 60, is an award-winning English actress who has starred in dozens of roles across TV, film, and theater over nearly four decades. Previously the U.K.'s highest-paid television actress, her notable roles include the long-running soap opera Coronation Street, BBC's Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley, Max's Julia, and 2021's Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
Andrew Buchan as Wallace Webb
Helen's husband Wallace is the Conservative minister of state for defense, whose ambition tends to get in the way of his waning desire to do good. He’s been happily married to Helen for the last eight years, not knowing she's a spy who targeted him as a future Prime Minister.
Andrew Buchan, 45, is an English actor best known internationally for playing Andrew Parker Bowles in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown, as well as hedge funder Felim Bichan in HBO's Industry. He began his career in theater and went on to star in shows and films including BBC Two's Party Animals, ITV's Broadchurch, Prime Video's Carnival Row, and the 2024 Paramount+ movie Apartment 7A. Buchan was previously married to actress Amy Nuttall from 2012 to 2022, and they share two children.
Andrew Koji as Jason
Civil servant Jason met Helen by accident and instantly fell in love. In the pair's affair, Helen found that she could truly be herself, and she was devastated by his death. Jason's tragic end starts the show, leaving the audience to discover why he was killed and how much he knew about Helen's secrets.
Andrew Koji, 37, is a half-English, half-Japanese actor who grew up in Surrey, England. After a brief stint acting in Japan, the martial artist returned to the U.K. and worked as an actor and stunt double, including performing stunts for 2013's Fast & Furious 6. He's best known for starring in 2022's Bullet Train and the Max crime series Warrior.
Omari Douglas as Michael
Michael (above, left) is a kind and gentle man who has no idea about London's dangerous underworld. 10 years ago, he met Sam and they fell in love, even planning a future together. When Sam returns to London after several years away, he's determined to leave Michael alone.
Omari Douglas. 30, is an English actor of Jamaican heritage who has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award and an Olivier Award. He made his TV debut in the Channel 4 miniseries It's a Sin, and he has also appeared in Max's I Hate Suzie Too and the 2023 rom-com Rye Lane. Last year, he starred alongside Bridgerton's Luke Thompson in the stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara's novel A Little Life.
Kathryn Hunter as Lenny
Lenny, one of the bosses of Black Doves' world of spies and assassins, is the person who gave Sam his first job. She continued to manage Sam as one of her best triggermen, until his mysterious disappearance. Once he comes back, Lenny—who demands loyalty from her clients—says that he owes her.
Kathryn Hunter, 67, is a British-American actor and director of Greek heritage, best known for her work in physical theater. She's most recognizable for her scene-stealing roles as Arabella Figg in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Witches in 2021's The Tragedy of Macbeth, Eedy Karn in the Star Wars series Andor, and brothel owner Madame Swiney in 2023's Poor Things. Earlier this year, she starred as Solange in the psychological horror movie The Front Room.
Ella Lily Hyland as Williams
One of Lenny's freelance killers, Williams (above, right) is played by Ella Lily Hyland, 26. The Irish actress had her first lead television role last year, as a former tennis prodigy in the Prime Video drama Fifteen-Love. She has also had supporting roles in the shows Intruder and A Thousand Blows.
Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor
Williams' new partner Eleanor (above, left) is a talented assassin with a bleak outlook on the world, but she "hides her need for companionship behind a dark sense of humor," according to Tudum,
Gabrielle Creevy, 28, is a Welsh actress in the midst of a breakout year, with her roles in Black Doves and the Starz miniseries Three Women. Her earlier roles include the long-running soap Casualty, the BBC dramas The Pact and In My Skin, and the 2021 movie Operation Mincemeat.
Paapa Essiedu as Elmore Fitch
Paapa Essiedu, 34, appears in the spy drama as Elmore Fitch, an ex–SAS soldier turned reluctant hitman. The British actor of Ghanaian heritage started his career in theater and television before his breakthrough role as Kwame in the Emmy-winning drama I May Destroy You. His most notable roles include BBC's Press, Sky Atlantic's Gangs of London, Channel 5's Anne Boleyn, and the "Demon 79" episode of Black Mirror season 6. He previously worked with Black Doves creator Joe Barton on the sci-fi series The Lazarus Project.
Luther Ford as Hector Newman
Hector Newman is the youngest brother of the Newman crime family who has a history with Sam from before the latter's self-imposed exile. Hector is played by Luther Ford, 24, who made his television debut as a young Prince Harry in the final five episodes of The Crown. Black Doves is his second major role.
Adeel Akhtar as Prime Minister Eaves
Eaves, the Conservative prime minister of the U.K., is played by Adeel Akhtar, 44. The British actor is best known among Netflix fans for paying DS Sami Kierce in the thriller miniseries Fool Me Once, Aditya Singh in Sweet Tooth, and Inspector Lestrade in the Enola Holmes movies. His other notable credits include BBC's The Night Manager and Killing Eve, 2017's The Big Sick, and 2021's Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming Chen
Part of Black Doves' intricate mystery involves the murder of the Chinese Ambassador Chen and the unknown whereabouts of his daughter Kai-Ming. The notorious party girl is played by Isabella Wei, 20, a Hong Kong actress who made her TV debut in the short-lived Netflix series 1899. Earlier this year, she was cast as the new character Posy Li in Bridgerton season 4.
Finn Bennett as Cole Atwood
Cole Atwood is Kai-Ming's American boyfriend. He's played by Finn Bennett, a 25-year-old Irish-British actor. Before Black Doves, Bennett impressed viewers as Officer Peter Prior on True Detective: Night Country. Next up, he's set to play Prince Aerion Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Tracey Ullman as Alex
Award-winning multi-hyphenate Tracey Ullman, 64, makes a brief appearance in Black Doves' season 1 finale as the matriarch of the Clark crime family. The comedian, actress, singer, screenwriter, producer, and director rose to fame on British TV before emigrating to the U.S., where she has starred on shows including Fox's The Tracey Ullman Show and Showtime's Tracey Ullman's State of the Union. She has won seven Primetime Emmys, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
