McMafia cast: Who stars in the BBC drama with James Norton?
MCMAFIA will be airing on the BBC in the new year with Grantchester and Happy Valley actor James Norton taking centre stage but who is in the cast?
Who is in the cast of McMafia?
James Norton - Alex Godman
James Norton takes on the lead role as Alex Godman, the son of an exiled Russian mafia boss in the BBC drama.
Alex is a banker working in the City of London and avoids anything to do with his family’s shady dealings.
He grew up in Britain and went to a series prestigious schools before university and acknowledges his privileged upbringing.
A tragic family incident leads him to make a tricky choice between a crime-free life or getting his hands dirty with criminal dealings.
He is dating fellow City worker Rebecca (played by Juliet Rylance).
Viewers will be familiar with James, 32, from Happy Valley, Grantchester and War & Peace where he was involved in a very different period of Russian history.
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Faye Marsay - Katya Godman
Game of Thrones star Faye Marsay portrays Alex’s sister Katya, who is something of a rebel in the family.
The young socialite is close to her brother even if she is something of a wayward spirit.
Along with the HBO fantasy drama, the 30-year-old actress has had roles in Love, Nina, Black Mirror, Doctor Who and most recently ITV detective drama Bancroft.
Juliet Rylance - Rebecca
Juliet Rylance plays Rebecca, the morally upstanding girlfriend of Alex who confides in her about his family.
Like Alex, she works in the City of London working for an ethical fund that invests responsibly.
The English actress, 39, is the stepdaughter of actor Mark Rylance.
She has credits in film Days and Nights and TV series The Knick as well as having an list of theatre roles in Shakespeare productions.
BBC
BBC
Maria Shukshina - Oksana Godman
Veteran Russian star Maria Shukshina will play Alex’s socialite mother and hardened mobster wife Oksana Godman.
She will try to guide Alex after the family faces a new threat in the BBC drama.
While she may be unfamiliar to British audiences, Maria, 50, has a lengthy career spanning four decades in Russia.
Among her biggest parts are Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus, Bury Me Behind the Baseboard and American Daughter.
Aleksey Serebryakov - Dimitri Godman
Aleksey Serebryakov takes on the role of mafia head Dimitri Godman, who has been sent into exile along with his family.
Despite living a luxurious lifestyle, Aleksey is left depressed and longing to return to his home country.
The Russian star, 53, is probably best known internationally for his role in 2014’s critically-acclaimed Leviathan.
Like Maria, he is one of the biggest stars in Russia and has been acting since he was 13.
BBC
David Strathairn - Semiyon Kleiman
Oscar-nominated actor David Strathairn will be playing the part of Israeli businessman Semiyon Kleiman, who does some dodgy dealings.
It looks like he could be having some interesting interactions with Alex in McMafia.
Hollywood A-lister David’s biggest roles include Good Night, and Good Luck which saw him get a Best Actor nod at the Academy Awards in 2005.
He has also starred in The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Legacy as well as getting an Emmy Award for his role in television film Temple Grandin.
BBC
Merab Ninidze - Vadim Kalyagin
Georgian actor Merab Ninidze is Russian crime boss Vadim Kalyagin, who will be appearing in the first episode.
He will be turning up in episode one and could be at odds with Alex later on.
Merab, 52, has a lengthy list of roles such as Berlin Station, Deutschland 83 and A Case for Two.
David Dencik - Boris
David Dencik will be portraying Alex’s eccentric uncle Boris, who the young hedge fund manager is close to.
McMafia viewers will recognise Swedish-Danish actor David, 43, from his sinister turn as Puss in Top of the Lake: China Girl.
His other big roles include The Borgias and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
What will happen in McMafia?
According to a BBC synopsis: “Godman is the English-raised son of Russian exiles with a mafia history, who has spent his life trying to escape the shadow of that criminal past, building his own legitimate business and forging a life with his girlfriend Rebecca.
“But when his family’s past murderously returns to threaten them, Alex is forced to confront his values to protect those he loves.
“What starts out as a story of survival and revenge becomes an epic tale of a man’s struggle against the lures of corruption in the modern world and in himself.
“McMafia is impressive and intimate, glamorous and gritty, global in scale and forensic in detail.”
The series is a British and American co-production between the BBC and AMC.
It is based on journalist Misha Glenny’s 2008 non-fiction book McMafia: A Journey Through The Global Criminal Underworld by Misha Glenny but the plot and characters are entirely fictional.
McMafia airs on BBC One on New Year's Day at 9pm & episode 2 will air on January 2 in the same time slot.
