Mark Bonnar in Marble Hall Murders: Roles & Career

Actor profile

Career and selected work

Mark Bonnar is a Scottish actor whose television work includes both crime drama and comedy. Shetland viewers know him as Duncan Hunter; Line of Duty and Unforgotten offer other prominent dramatic roles. Catastrophe and Guilt provide different combinations of humour, discomfort and personal consequence. The selected credits below make a compact route through those contrasts.

There is also a direct Anthony Horowitz connection beyond Susan Ryeland: Bonnar plays Peter Mayhew in New Blood. That is a separate contemporary crime series, not part of the Pünd mythology. For a viewing comparison, choose New Blood alongside Guilt, then consider how professional authority and private interests affect a conversation in each. Bonnar’s characters should not be collapsed into one familiar screen persona. Recognising an actor is useful for discovering a production, but a mystery still depends on what this particular person knows, wants and does within the story being told.

Bonnar also joins the second series of Ludwig as a series regular, confirmed by BritBox. This is another detective-comedy credit, separate from his work in the Horowitz adaptations.

Six roles to explore

Shetland (2013–2022) — Duncan Hunter.
Line of Duty (2014) — DCC Mike Dryden.
Catastrophe (2015–2019) — Chris.
New Blood (2016) — Peter Mayhew.
Unforgotten (2017) — Colin Osborne.
Guilt (2019–2023) — Max McCall.

In the Susan Ryeland adaptations

Bonnar plays Edward Crace in Susan’s investigation and Elmer Waysmith in Pünd’s Last Case. Edward is part of the family surrounding the history of Miriam Crace; Elmer belongs to the book Susan is editing. The pairing encourages viewers to examine the way family relationships are transformed into fiction. Follow each man’s place in his own household before drawing parallels. In a group scene, it can help to note whose account he accepts, whose statement he challenges and what topic changes the mood of the conversation.

Where to watch and explore next

Explore the Susan Ryeland episodes. Check local streaming services for other roles before subscribing. Use the year and character to identify the right production.

The character links below lead into the story guides. Endings stay in closed sections. Open them when you are ready for spoilers. Watching for the first time? Follow the episodes in order. Rewatching? Compare the performances across the two worlds.