The Offenders is an upcoming Amazon and BBC thriller that’s got some truly top-tier talent attached! In the show, seven strangers will be forced to become fast friends as they work alongside one another whilst completing their community service in southern England, especially with the threat of gang crime just around the corner!
First announced in early 2020, The Offenders is described as “part crime thriller, and part character study — with humour and heart” by the BBC. Although it was forced to stop production due to COVID-19, the series is now almost finished filming right now!
Seeing as writer-director Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) is behind the show and it has already been renewed for a second season before the first one has even aired, it's sure to be worth the wait!
Here’s what we know about The Offenders so far!
The Offenders release date
So far, we don’t have an exact release date for The Offenders, but we expect it to release in late 2021 at the earliest. We do know where you can watch it, though!
The series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the UK, The Offenders will premiere on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
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The Offenders cast
The main cast of The Offenders is the seven titular offenders serving community service in the show. The seven characters are:
- In his first British TV role, Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction) plays Frank, a scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family.
- Stephen Merchant as Greg, a lonely lawyer coping with divorce, workplace bullying and scary men with knives.
- Darren Boyd (Killing Eve) as John, a businessman and pillar of the community who is furious about being labelled a common criminal.
- Clare Perkins (EastEnders) as Myrna, an ageing activist and campaigner who's still just as radical as she once was.
- Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) as Gabby, an aristocrat whose glamour and life of leisure masks some deep-rooted problems.
- Rhianne Barreto (Honour) plays Rani, a gifted but rebellious student who has been hot-housed from a young age by her loving but controlling parents.
- Gamba Cole (Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle) plays Christian, a young man who is struggling to raise his kid sister whilst he stays one step ahead of the notorious Bristol crime gang, the Brook Hill Crew.
The Offenders’ eye-catching cast doesn’t stop there, though! Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) will appear as the Earl, a local member of the landed gentry who is also Gabby’s father. Julia Davis (Sally4Ever) plays Rita, head of HR at Greg’s company.
Additional cast includes Jessica Gunning (Back) as the Offenders’ Community Service Supervisor, Dolly Wells (Dracula) as Frank’s daughter, Margaret, Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones) as John’s father, John, Nina Wadia (Goodness Gracious Me) as Rani’s mother, Shanthi, Aiyana Goodfellow as Esme and Charles Babalola as Malaki.
Claes Bang (Dracula) is the most recent addition to the thriller. He plays Dean, a terrifying London gang boss who is after a debt owed by the titular offenders.
The Offenders plot
The Offenders follows seven strangers from different walks of life who are forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol, England. At first, they seem like an archetypal group of people who are easy to pigeonhole, but as they get to know each other their barriers fall down.
Slowly, we’re reminded that no one is completely good or bad. As their unlikely friendships blossom and clash with their own personal lives, the group unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous gang.
Is there a trailer?
Not yet, but keep checking back as we'll update this guide if and when one's released.
