The Gazette
Aimee Seddon
12 Jul 2023

Lancashire raised actor John Simm returns for the second series of a gritty crime thriller by the maker of Trainspotting, but you can catch series one right now.

John, who grew up in Blackpool and Burnley, can now been been seen on your TV screens in series one of an ITVX drama called Crime, in preparation of series two which is airing later this year.

Crime was adapted from a book written by Scottish author Irvine Welsh, who is best known for writing the cult classic Trainspotting.

What is the show about?

John Simm as Mr. Confectioner in Crime | Photo: The Gazette

Irvine Welsh’s Crime is a six-part series which follows troubled detective DI Ray Lennox as he heads up the Edinburgh Serious Crimes unit.

In series one, an Edinburgh schoolgirl is abducted and DI Lennox’s belief that the murderer is serial killer Mister Confectioner puts him in conflict with his bosses who believe Confectioner is already behind bars. Lennox’s insistence that they have the wrong man also puts him onto the radar of Confectioner himself, drawing him into a cat and mouse game with the killer.

Series two started filming in Summer 2022 and follows DI Lennox as he deals with the aftermath of the events of series one.

You can read series two synopsis here, but we will not spoil it for those yet to watch the first series!

Doctor Who star John Simm plays a serial killer called The Confectioner | Photo: The Gazette

Who does John play?

The 52-year-old BAFTA-nominated star plays Gareth Horsborough, also known as Mr Confectioner, the main antagonist in both series.

Playing the bad guy is a change of scene for John, who most recenly played copper DSI Roy Grace in ITV’s Grace, and is also well known for playing DCI Sam Tyler in Life on Mars.

Who else is in the Crime cast?

The lead character in both Crime series is played by Scottish-born Hollywood star Dougray Scott, whos portrayal of Lennox in season one landed him an International Emmy nomination for Best Performance by an Actor.

Fellow Scottish actors Ken Stott (Rebus, The Missing), Joanna Vanderham (Dancing on the Edge), and Derek Riddell (Silent Witness), reprise their roles in series two as Chief Superintendent Bob Toal, DS Amanda Drummond and Richie Gulliver respectively.

Also featured is Rebecca Root (The Queen’s Gambit), David Elliot (Kajaki), Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad, Pact), Fiona Bell (Shetland), Sarah McCardie (It’s A Sin), Brian McCardie (Murphy’s Law), John McLarnon (Outlander), Ewan Miller (Skin), and Gordon Morris (The Forgotten), whilst Scott’s son Gabriel Scott (House of Dragon) appears alongside his father.

All episodes of series 1 and 2 are available to stream on ITVX and BritBox.