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Meet the cast of Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators

Who stars in the hit BBC drama series?

shakespeare and hathaway meet the cast
Matthew Moore
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
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jo joyner© Photo: Getty Images

BBC1 is currently airing the fourth season of its hit drama Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators

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Fans have been loving the series, which follows private investigators Luella Shakespeare and Frank Hathaway as they're employed to investigate murders, death threats and a whole host of other gruesome crimes.

The cast of the show is made up of veteran actors like Jo Joyner and Mark Benton, as well as newcomers like Yasmin Kaur Barn. But who are the cast, and where might you have seen them before? We've done some digging for you…

Jo Joyner

Jo Joyner plays one of the lead characters of the series, Luella Shakespeare, and she was suspected of murdering her fiancé in the show's first-ever episode. Following the events of the first episode, she has joined with Frank to become a private investigator.

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One of Jo's biggest roles was as EastEnders legend Tanya Branning, the (twice) ex-wife of show stalwart Max Branning. Her portrayal of the character led to her winning awards at the Digital Spy, British Soap and All About Soap Awards.

Jo has also had major roles in series like Ackley Bridge, Ordinary Lies and Marley's Ghosts as well as minor roles in major TV series like Spooks, Silent Witness, Doctor Who and Murdoch Mysteries.

WATCH: Are you a fan of Shakespeare & Hathaway?

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Mark Benton

Mark Benton plays the other lead character in the series, Frank Hathaway, a former Detective Inspector turned private investigator struggling with debt.

At the end of the first episode, he reluctantly hires Luella, but the pair have since transformed into a formidable team.

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Mark has been on our screens in a variety of films and television series, with memorable roles as maths teacher Daniel 'Chalky' Chalk in Waterloo Road, Max de Lacey in children's show Scoop and Martin Pond in Barbara.

Mark also memorably competed on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in seventh place, after losing in the dance-off to Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson.

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Tomos Eames

Tomos Eames can be seen in the series as Detective Sergeant Joseph Keeler, who Frank and Luella frequently infuriate after setting out to prove the innocence of someone the officer has arrested.

The character had a near-death experience in the finale of the second season after he was thrown in a shipping container alongside Frank.

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The actor has also had roles in short films like Sugar and Woman of the Night as well as appearing in feature films like Resistance, Pride and Jellyfish.

patrick walshe mcbride© Photo: Rex

Patrick Walshe McBride

Patrick Walshe McBride plays Sebastian Brudenell, Frank's assistant and an aspiring actor, who occasionally has to help out the investigators by undertaking undercover roles.

At the end of the third season, Sebastian finally got to realise his dream and appear on stage at Stratford Theatre.

Patrick himself is already becoming quite the established actor appearing in TV series like Inspector Lewis and Holby City. He also appeared as Lord Ruthven in the hit mini-series Dracula last year.

Last season, Yasmin Kaur Barn made her debut in the series as PC Viola Davis, a friend of Sebastian's with a boundless, puppy-like enthusiasm.

Yasmin has been on screens since 2016 after she appeared in the short film Come Together: A Fashion Picture in Motion. She has also starred in the TV film Recon and the series Man Like Mobeen.

roberta taylor© Photo: Getty Images

Roberta Taylor

Veteran actress Roberta Taylor frequently appears in the series as Gloria Fonteyn, the owner of a costume shop that Sebastian lives above.

Gloria had a large role in the "See Thyself, Devil!" episode, after it was revealed that she was the ex-fiancée of a band member who was killed in a coach crash many years ago, after the band made a pact with the Devil for success.

Roberta has also had large roles in long-running series like EastEnders and The Bill in which she played Irene Raymond and Inspector Gina Gold respectively.

She has also had roles in Casualty, Holby City and the 1990 film adaptation of The Witches.

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