BBC Studios Unveils Cast for The Watch

Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones) is set to lead the cast of The Watch, the new BBC Studios drama series inspired by Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.

The Watch, set in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork where crime has been legalized, centers on a group of misfit cops as they rise up to save their corrupt city. Dormer will star as Captain of the Watch Sam Vimes in the eight-part comedy drama.

Joining Dormer in the cast are Adam Hugill (1917) as idealistic new recruit Constable Carrot, Jo Eaton-Kent (Don’t Forget The Driver) as the non-binary forensics expert Constable Cheery, Marama Corlett (Blood Drive) as the mysterious Corporal Angua, Lara Rossi (Crossing Lines) as the formidable Lady Sybil Ramkin and Sam Adewunmi (The Last Tree) as the wronged Carcer Dun.

Produced by BBC Studios and Narrativia for BBC America, the show’s director and lead writer are Craig Viveiros (And Then There Were None, The War of The Worlds) and Simon Allen (The Musketeers, Das Boot), respectively. Joining Allen on the writing team are Joy Wilkinson (Nick Nickleby, Doctor Who), Catherine Tregenna (Torchwood, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), Amrou Al-Kadhi (Hollyoaks, Little America) and Ed Hime (Skins, Doctor Who).

Dormer said: “I’m so thrilled to be part of this brilliant madness and mayhem! I was immediately drawn to the multitude of layers to Sam Vimes, and I find the dynamic between him and his band of disenfranchised comrades very compelling.”

Craig Viveiros, director and executive producer, said: “The script for The Watch is like nothing I have ever read before. It’s anarchic, it’s noisy and raspy, and I am really looking forward to bringing it to life on screen. With such a talented lineup of cast and crew, together we can make something ground-breaking.”

Simon Allen, lead writer and executive producer, said: “Sir Terry Pratchett is in the bloodstream of popular culture. He has a distinctly British kind of literary heart and humor but his ideas are defiantly human and universal. It’s been such a privilege to work with our world-class director, producers and writers on building a television show that honors his legacy while striking out on its own in his name and spirit. Like the man whose genius inspired it, The Watch is a hopeful show that believes it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness. I can’t wait for everybody to see our joyously brilliant cast light candles and, of course, flamethrowers.”