Prepare for an emotionally charged journey when Reunion arrives on BBC One, April 7, 2025. This powerful drama follows a group of former university friends who reconvene after twenty years, only to have their nostalgic gathering unravel as long-buried secrets and unresolved tensions come crashing to the surface. With an exceptional ensemble cast led by Eddie Marsan and Anne-Marie Duff, Reunion masterfully blends elements of psychological thriller and intimate character study, exploring how the passage of time both heals and distorts our memories of pivotal relationships.
Set against the backdrop of a secluded countryside estate, the series peels back layers of friendship, betrayal, and the lingering consequences of past choices. From the moment the first champagne cork pops, viewers will be drawn into a meticulously crafted mystery that asks: how well do we truly know our closest friends—or ourselves? Early screenings have drawn comparisons to The Big Chill meets Broadchurch, with standout performances that showcase British acting at its finest.
Who is in the cast of Reunion
1: Eddie Marsan as Stephen Renworth
Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, Vicious) delivers a tour-de-force performance as Stephen, the once-idealistic activist turned disillusioned corporate lawyer. Marsan brilliantly captures Stephen’s internal conflict as he balances resentment toward old friends with his role as reluctant peacemaker. His character’s explosive confrontation in Episode 3—where years of repressed anger finally erupt—stands as one of the season’s most powerful scenes.
The actor prepared by studying midlife crisis psychology and reconnecting with his own university acquaintances. Marsan’s nuanced portrayal makes Stephen simultaneously sympathetic and frustrating—a man whose early promise has curdled into quiet desperation, revealed through subtle gestures and vocal tics that grow more pronounced as tensions rise.
2: Anne-Marie Duff as Christine
Anne-Marie Duff (Shameless, Sex Education) is mesmerizing as Christine, the group’s former glue whose carefully constructed life begins fracturing over the reunion weekend. Duff brings heartbreaking authenticity to Christine’s unraveling, particularly in scenes where her character’s maternal warmth masks deeper regrets. Her silent breakdown while preparing dinner in Episode 2 is a masterclass in restrained acting.
Duff worked closely with the writers to develop Christine’s backstory, including her character’s complicated history with Stephen. Their charged scenes together—full of half-finished sentences and loaded glances—create some of the series’ most emotionally complex moments.
3: Rose Ayling-Ellis as Miri
Rose Ayling-Ellis (EastEnders, Sister Boniface) shines as Miri, the group’s outlier whose deafness becomes a poignant metaphor for the communication breakdowns haunting the friends. Ayling-Ellis incorporates British Sign Language organically into her performance, with one particularly powerful scene where she stops interpreting as emotional tensions escalate.
The actress brings radiant energy to flashback sequences showing Miri as the group’s youthful conscience, making her present-day cynicism all the more tragic. Her confrontation with Olive Gray’s character in Episode 4—conducted entirely in sign language with subtitles—is a groundbreaking moment in mainstream television representation.
4: Olive Gray as Anna Shenford
Olive Gray (Half Bad, Doctor Who) delivers a star-making performance as Anna, the once-shy friend now thriving as a controversial artist. Gray perfectly captures Anna’s defensive arrogance masking deep vulnerability, particularly when her artwork’s inspiration is called into question.
The actor prepared by studying provocative contemporary artists and their creative processes. Gray’s most challenging scene—a drunken gallery critique that turns painfully personal—required 27 takes to balance the character’s cruelty and self-loathing.
5: Sophie Stone as Naomi Brennan
Sophie Stone (Casualty, The End of the F**ing World*) is unforgettable as Naomi, the quick-witted friend whose mobility issues from a long-ago accident become symbolic of the group’s frozen dynamics. Stone’s impeccable comic timing provides much-needed levity before revealing her character’s surprising emotional depths.
The actress drew from her own experiences with disability to shape Naomi’s refusal to be pitied. Her Episode 5 monologue about the accident that changed her life—delivered while stubbornly fixing a leaky faucet—is a standout moment of the entire series.
6: Lara Peake as Carly
Lara Peake (In Fabric, Too Close) brings electric energy as Carly, the mysterious plus-one whose outsider perspective disrupts the group’s delicate equilibrium. Peake masterfully keeps viewers guessing about Carly’s true motives through subtle performance choices that suggest multiple interpretations.
Her character’s revelation in Episode 6—played entirely through reaction shots as others speak—showcases Peake’s remarkable ability to convey complex internal dialogue without words. The actress developed Carly’s backstory through improvised journal entries never seen on camera.
7: Michael Culkin as Monroe
Michael Culkin (The Crown, Penny Dreadful) lends gravitas as Monroe, the group’s former professor whose unexpected arrival forces confrontations with the past. Culkin’s measured performance makes Monroe’s every utterance feel weighted with meaning, particularly in his devastating assessment of how his protégés’ lives have unfolded.
The veteran actor based his portrayal on influential mentors from his own drama school days. His final scene with Marsan—a quiet exchange on a garden bench—provides the series’ most bittersweet moment.
8: Joe Sims as Joe Summers
Joe Sims (Broadchurch, The Outlaws) delivers a deceptively layered performance as Joe Summers, the affable neighbor who owns the reunion’s countryside estate. Initially appearing as mere comic relief, Sims gradually reveals Joe’s surprising connection to the group’s shared past through carefully placed hints in early episodes. His character’s genial hospitality masks a sharp observational skillset, making him the unexpected moral compass as events spiral.
The actor’s standout moment comes in Episode 4 during a seemingly innocuous brandy-sharing scene with Eddie Marsan, where a casual remark about “recognizing faces from the papers” lands like a detonated bomb. Sims based his portrayal on real-life pub landlords, blending their storytelling cadence with hidden perceptiveness. His final scene—watering plants while listening to the group’s climactic argument through an open window—perfectly encapsulates Joe’s role as quiet witness to the unraveling.
9: Robert Rhodes as Dexter
Robert Rhodes (The Crown, Slow Horses) makes every second count in his brief but pivotal role as Dexter, a ghost from the group’s past whose unexpected appearance in Episode 3 triggers the story’s major turning point. Rhodes brings haunting stillness to the character, conveying years of unspoken history through posture and eye contact alone. His character’s late-night kitchen confrontation with Anne-Marie Duff lasts just seven minutes but reshapes the entire narrative.
The actor prepared by studying photographs of his younger self to recreate Dexter’s physicality from twenty years prior for crucial flashback scenes. Rhodes’ most challenging moment required him to silently react to Olive Gray’s tirade while subtly revealing Dexter’s Parkinson’s tremor—a detail that adds profound pathos to their fractured relationship.
10: Andy M Milligan as Party Guest
Andy M Milligan (Peaky Blinders, The Batman) provides masterclass background acting as an increasingly uncomfortable wedding guest who becomes the audience surrogate during the group’s most explosive public confrontation. Milligan’s brilliant physical comedy—adjusting his tie, fake-laughing through tension, desperately eyeing exits—turns what could have been stock character into a hilarious, relatable presence.
His improvised moment trying to eat canapés during Stephen’s meltdown became an instant crew favorite. The actor reportedly stayed in character for all 14 hours of the party scene shoot, developing an entire unseen backstory about being the groom’s uncle from Sheffield.
11: Ravi Multani as Guest
Ravi Multani (Bridgerton, The Great) shines as another trapped observer, using his expressive face to chart growing horror/amusement at the unfolding drama. Multani’s character forms a silent comedy duo with Milligan, their eye contact and subtle gestures creating a secondary narrative about partygoers realizing they’re witnessing something extraordinary.
The actor drew inspiration from real wedding disasters he’d witnessed. His Episode 5 moment—mouthing “what the fuck?!” while pretending to check his phone—was preserved in the final cut after reducing the crew to laughter during takes.
12: Stephen Collins as Sean
Stephen Collins (Line of Duty, The Sixth Commandment) appears briefly but impactfully as Sean, whose absence hangs over the reunion. Seen only in strategically placed flashbacks and photographs, Collins creates a fully realized character through minimal screen time—his warm smile in group shots contrasting with private moments of intensity in remembered arguments.
The actor’s voice work is particularly effective in Episode 7’s answering machine reveal—a 30-second monologue recorded twelve different ways to achieve the perfect balance of affection and ominous foreshadowing. Collins’ photograph reactions (where cast members respond to his pictured image) became a revered acting exercise among the ensemble.
