Forever Home, Channel 5's new drama series adapted from Graham Norton's bestselling novel, features an ensemble cast drawn from Shetland, Downton Abbey, Emmerdale, Heartstopper, Waterloo Road and Inspector Lewis. The series centres on Carol Crottie, who begins questioning whether her older partner Robert, whose dementia is deteriorating, is concealing secrets about his first wife's disappearance. She vanished with Robert's brother two decades earlier, as his distress over the property's concealed basement intensifies.
The novel, published in 2023, is Graham's fourth literary work and has been described as a darkly comic Irish domestic drama. Readers have called it a compelling "cosy mystery" they found hard to put down. The television adaptation is written by Clara Salaman.
Amy Nuttall as Carol Crottie
Amy Nuttall plays Robert's wife Carol. She said: "Writer Clara Salaman summed her up perfectly when she wrote in the script that 'Carol is the mouse that will learn to roar.' Hopefully an audience will find her very recognisable. She is very warm, kind and extremely compassionate, but I think she is underestimated. Even by herself. She is forced to confront things that she never imagined - like her partner's dementia and long-buried family secrets."
Viewers will recognise Amy from Emmerdale, where she played Chloe Atkinson between 2000 and 2005. She also starred as Ethel Parks in Downton Abbey and has appeared in New Tricks, Liar and Mr Bates vs. The Post Office.
Douglas Henshall as Robert Barrie
Douglas Henshall portrays Robert. He said: "Robert is a man under constant stress. He has paranoia to a terrible degree and awful guilt. He is constantly having to check himself for everything he says and does. 'Am I being consistent with the lies?' I don't know how you survive like that with the amount of strain that he is under all the time and has been for so many years. Regardless that his mental health is also wrecked. I would also say that whatever it is that you are trying to cover up, it always leaks. That's the thing with human beings. If you are not dealing with the thing, regardless of what it is, it doesn't just stay hidden."
The Glasgow actor is best known for playing Jimmy Pérez in Shetland between 2013 and 2022. Since leaving the BBC series, he has appeared in Who is Erin Carter?, The Darkness and The Revenge Club.
Denise Welch as Moira Crottie and Lewis Cope as Kaden Barrie
Loose Women star Denise Welch plays Carol's mother Moira. She said: "Moira loves Carol in the only way that Moira can love somebody. She loves herself first and then she loves her daughter. She would do anything for her. A lot of people have mums like that. There is a little bit of competitiveness and as the series goes on you will see why." Denise is known for her roles as Natalie Barnes in Coronation Street, Steph Haydock in Waterloo Road, and Trish Minniver in Hollyoaks.
Lewis Cope plays Robert's son Kaden. He said: "I don't think Kaden is hard to like. I would say that he's challenged because of his upbringing. He doesn't know anything about his mam from the age of 10 onwards. It's just him and his sister and his dad." Lewis is widely recognised for playing Nicky Milligan in Emmerdale, and made his West End debut in Billy Elliot at age 11, playing Michael alongside Tom Holland. In 2025 he competed in Strictly Come Dancing with Katya Jones.
Jenny Walser, Shane Zaza, Kevin Whately and James Baxter
Jenny Walser plays Robert's daughter Sally. She said: "She is completely unlike any character I have ever played before. That just selfishly as an actor really intrigued me. I could immediately see that she was not just one thing. I know that no 3-D multidimensional human being is, but Sally is very multi-layered and complicated. There is a lot going on beneath the surface that sometimes comes to the surface. I thought that she was fascinating." Jenny is best known for playing Tori Spring in Heartstopper, with credits including Call the Midwife, Star City and Sweetpea.
Shane Zaza plays Kaden's partner Dan. He said: "Daniel is a very warm, driven, passionate guy. He's that guy you want around when you feel a bit s***. He looks at the bright side of everything. He's just a great guy." Shane is recognised for his portrayals of Shafiq Shah in Happy Valley and Tariq in Big Boys.
Kevin Whately takes the role of Moira's husband and Carol's father, Silent Dave. Audiences will remember him as Detective Sergeant Lewis in Inspector Morse and DI Robert Lewis in Inspector Lewis, though he is perhaps most famous for playing Neville Hope in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
James Baxter plays Sally's boyfriend Patrick, described as a "Jack-the-lad" who does what he wants. James is known for his roles as Leroy in Still Open All Hours and Joe Casey in Waterloo Road, and has also appeared in Alma's Not Normal and The Witcher.
Forever Home starts on Channel 5 at 9pm on Monday, September 14.
