Alexandra Roach stars in Hunting Alice Bell, a new six-part Channel 4 thriller that begins tonight. The drama follows Fran Da Silva, whose life is turned upside down when she is accused online of being Alice Bell, a serial killer's accomplice believed to be living under an assumed identity. Inspired by real events, the series shows Fran facing online abuse as speculation grows on social media.
Fran soon discovers she is not the only woman facing the allegation. She brings the others together to fight back and clear their names, but a statement from the killer threatens to undermine their efforts. The series is written by comedian and screenwriter David Baddiel.
Cast and Characters
Fran Da Silva is played by Alexandra Roach, a 39-year-old Welsh actress known for playing Becky in Utopia and DS Joy Freers in No Offence. She also appeared as Rhian in two episodes of Killing Eve. Discussing one of her most demanding moments in the series, the actress explained: "The scenes where Fran decides to use her voice. I don't think she's ever done that before, so it's a big leap for her: speaking out, becoming the centre of this group of women and putting herself in the spotlight isn't in Fran's make-up, while some of the other women feel more comfortable doing it."
Julie is played by English actress Amanda Abbington, widely recognised for her roles as Josie Mardle in Mr Selfridge and Mary Morstan in Sherlock. She also took part in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with Giovanni Pernice. Emily Barber takes on the role of Vanessa, with credits including Endeavour, Call the Midwife and Bridgerton. Toni O'Rourke plays Ros and is known for her portrayal of Robin Lonergan in The Boy That Never Was.
Killer and Supporting Roles
Charlotte is portrayed by Christina Bennington, a theatre actress and singer from Northern Ireland who played Raven in Bat Out of Hell: The Musical. Nick is played by Rudi Dharmalingam, a 45-year-old stage and screen actor recognised for his performances as Tariq Mistry in Hollyoaks and James Cutler in The Split. Speaking about collaborating with the actor, Roach remarked: "I loved working with Rudi. The schedule was intense, and we were thrown together in Ireland, so we had to make it work."
Graham Hunter is portrayed by Ralf Little, a 46-year-old English actor, writer and former semi-professional footballer, best known for roles in The Royle Family and Death in Paradise. Serial killer Jason Nash is played by Simon Pegg, the 56-year-old English actor and comedian known for the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced and for co-writing Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End.
Baddiel reflected on having Pegg on set, revealing: "The moment I loved most was when Simon Pegg came in to play Dr Jason Nash. We only had him for about four days. The first scene we shot was a flashback of Jason being interviewed by the police." He added: "Simon played it very straight and realistically. I said, 'That's brilliant. Can you just give it an edge - more psychopath?' He did, and I got goosebumps. Suddenly there he was: Dr Jason Nash, and he was terrifying."
Additional guest stars include Mason Dhokia as Jay, Aiyana Bartlett as Violet, Shobu Kapoor as Christine and Aarian Mehrabani as Ashley. Hunting Alice Bell airs on Channel 4 from November 11 at 9pm.
