Character descriptions
Character descriptions
Published: 12 December 2016
Played by Toby Jones
Burdened by poverty and guilt, John Mayhew lives a grey and passionless existence. Leonard’s case changes everything for this exhausted solicitor; his personal connection to the young man fires Mayhew with an unexpected determination to fight for him, to stop at nothing to prove Leonard's innocence…
Romaine Heilger
Played by Andrea Riseborough
A child of the First World War, Romaine Heilger emerges from the depths of the European bloodbath an ingenious survivor and afraid of nothing. At heart a loner, this Austrian singer’s enigmatic allure commands attention wherever she roams; Romaine is destined to enter the limelight sooner or later…
Leonard Vole
Played by Billy Howle
Haunted by his time at the front, Leonard Vole has been spat out of the war restless, disillusioned and incapable of settling on a job. A friendless innocent in a corrupt world, the odds stacked against him, Leonard is accused of a brutal murder and only one person can save him from the noose…
Janet McIntyre
Played by Monica Dolan
Devoted to the point of possessive, Emily French’s loyal housekeeper has an uncanny ability to pre-empt her mistress’s practical as well as emotional needs, suggesting a bond that surpasses a platonic master-servant relationship. However, Janet’s carefully controlled universe is challenged with the arrival of Leonard Vole…
Emily French
Played by Kim Cattrall
The staggeringly wealthy widow Emily French is beautiful, glamorous and bored. Used to getting exactly what she wants, she glides through the London highlife, indulging in champagne, raucous nightclubs and meaningless affairs with her favourite pastime: younger men.
Alice Mayhew
Played by Hayley Carmichael
Stifled by years of repressed emotion, Alice has as much verve and vigor as the grey meals she makes Mayhew for dinner. Haunted by the memory of her son who died at war, her few, precious moments of happiness are spent in his bedroom, left perfectly intact since the moment he left.
Sir Charles Carter KC
Played by David Haig
Whilst he enjoys a hearty lunch, this wealthy barrister salivates even more over the prospect of arguing sensational crime cases. He considers Leonard’s case to be a lost cause, until he finds out just how wealthy Leonard will be if he’s proved innocent.
