Lesley Manville plays Susan Ryeland and Tim McMullan plays Atticus Pünd in Moonflower Murders, with the main cast and their roles listed below.
The second mystery brings Susan from her life with Andreas in Crete to the disappearance at Branlow Hall. Familiar people from the first series appear alongside a new hotel family and the characters in Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. The table keeps the two worlds apart, especially where an actor returns in a modern role without bringing back their earlier manuscript character.
Who plays who?
Returning cast
Lesley Manville
Manville returns as Susan, who is trying to combine life with Andreas in Crete and the editorial work she misses. The Branlow Hall inquiry brings those competing commitments into focus. Away from Susan’s investigations, Manville played Cathy in Mum and Ada Harris in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, alongside her film work with Mike Leigh.
Tim McMullan
McMullan’s Pünd now investigates the events in Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. Susan’s imagined exchanges with him help her think through Conway’s novel, while his own scenes remain part of that fictional story. You may recognise McMullan as Sonny Gravesend in Patrick Melrose or Robin Woods in The Crown. His films include The Queen.
Alexandros Logothetis
Logothetis returns as Andreas, sharing Susan’s life at their hotel in Crete. Her journey back to England makes their relationship part of the story’s personal stakes, beyond the missing-person inquiry. His other work includes Manos in Adults in the Room and Dimitris in Wild Duck; television viewers may know him from The Island.
Claire Rushbrook
Rushbrook is back as Katie, Susan’s sister. Katie belongs to the continuing family strand rather than the new group at Branlow Hall or a character in Conway’s book. Rushbrook’s television credits include Pat Simms in Home Fires and Dr Caroline Llewellyn in Whitechapel. Film viewers may remember Roxanne in Secrets & Lies or Ava in Ali & Ava.
Conleth Hill
Alan is Pünd’s creator and the difficult novelist Susan knows professionally. His habit of turning people into fictional material makes his relationships essential to understanding his books. Hill is widely recognised as Varys in Game of Thrones. Holding offers another substantial role, as Sergeant PJ Collins, while Vienna Blood features him as Mendel Liebermann.
Daniel Mays
Mays plays the police officers on either side of the divide: Locke deals with Susan, while Chubb belongs to Pünd’s investigations. Their official responsibilities provide a contrast with the editor and the fictional detective. Mays played Danny Waldron in Line of Duty and DCI Peter Jay in Des, two other very different police roles.
Matthew Beard
Beard returns as James Taylor, Alan Conway’s partner. James Fraser, his other part in Magpie Murders, is not listed as a second Moonflower role. That distinction keeps the earlier manuscript separate from the novel Susan now reads. Beard plays Max Liebermann in Vienna Blood and Peter Hilton in The Imitation Game.
Sanjeev Kohli
Kohli returns as Sajid Khan in Susan’s contemporary world. Dr Kamal belongs to the first series’ manuscript, so he is not a second Moonflower character here. Viewers may recognise Kohli as Navid Harrid in Still Game or AJ Jandhu in River City. His films include Filth and Stan & Ollie.
New for Moonflower Murders
Mark Gatiss
Frank is the hotel guest whose death lies behind Susan’s inquiry; Oscar is his counterpart in Conway’s manuscript. Gatiss makes both men distinct parts of a story about what a writer chooses to borrow. Viewers may know him as Mycroft Holmes in Sherlock, Stephen Gardiner in Wolf Hall or from The League of Gentlemen.
Rosalie Craig
Lisa belongs to the Treherne family at Branlow Hall, while Melissa is at the centre of the period mystery Susan reads. Craig’s two roles help separate the hotel’s difficult present from Conway’s fictional transformation of it. Her work includes Virginia Wilson in 1899 and the librarian in The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Bobbie in Company on stage.
Adrian Rawlins
Lawrence is one of Branlow Hall’s owners and Cecily’s father. Lance belongs to the household in the embedded mystery. Rawlins is recognisable as James Potter from the Harry Potter films, but his career also includes Arthur Kidd in the 1989 television version of The Woman in Black and Nikolai Fomin in Chernobyl.
Pooky Quesnel
Pauline is part of the family searching for the missing Cecily. Maureen appears inside Conway’s novel, where the domestic relationships have been rearranged for Pünd’s investigation. Quesnel’s previous television roles include Dr Monica Broome in Cardiac Arrest, Rachel Branning in EastEnders and the Captain in the Doctor Who episode A Christmas Carol.
Will Tudor
Aiden is Cecily’s husband, placing him close to the disappearance Susan has been asked to investigate. Algernon belongs to Atticus Pünd Takes the Case, the book that Cecily was reading. Tudor played Odi in Humans and Olyvar in Game of Thrones; Shadowhunters features his performance as Sebastian and Jonathan. Keep the two Moonflower names separate while watching.
Joanna Bacon
Gwyneth belongs to the Branlow Hall story, while Phyllis belongs to the fictional Chandler household. Bacon’s performances sit among the family and working relationships that Susan and Pünd must disentangle. You may remember her as Natalie’s mother in Love Actually or Jackie in Breeders. Her films also include A Quiet Passion and She Will.
Thomas Coombes
Derek is part of the contemporary hotel story and its connection with Stefan. Eric appears in the manuscript’s separate household. The names sound similar, making the change of setting especially useful when identifying who is speaking. Coombes played Goz in Save Me and Officer Daniels in Baby Reindeer, and appeared in Boiling Point as Mr Lovejoy.
Other faces to recognise
The wider cast includes Amy Griffiths as Cecily MacNeil and Alec Secareanu as Stefan Leonida. In the manuscript story, Pippa Bennett-Warner plays Madeline Cain, Liam Garrigan plays Leonard Collins, Jeany Spark plays Samantha Collins and Rupert Evans plays John Spencer. Tim Plester and Kate Ashfield appear as Martin and Joanne Webster. These names help distinguish the new hotel mystery from the returning publishing characters.
Hear the story as an audiobook
The UK audiobook of Moonflower Murders is read by Lesley Manville and Allan Corduner. The publisher’s audiobook page identifies this edition. Listen to the novel’s version of the two investigations. Save book comparisons until you have finished. Checked 19 October 2026.
Find Moonflower Murders on AudibleCast sources
PBS: Magpie Murders cast · PBS: Moonflower Murders characters. Checked 19 October 2026.
Read or listen to Moonflower Murders
Moonflower Murders
Anthony Horowitz’s novel behind the television adaptation.
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