Grace: Cast, plot and filming locations of the adaptation of Peter James’ bestselling novels

With more than 18 million copies sold, readers all over the world have been hooked on Peter James’s Roy Grace crime fiction series since 2003. The books have been translated into 37 languages, and with book number 18 currently being written, their popularity shows no sign of waning.

Discover who’s taking centre stage and everything else you need to know about the TV series, including when we can expect to see the second Grace film, and what's happening with season 2.

7 Questions with… Grace author Peter James - exclusive interview

Screenwriter Russell Lewis on filming Grace during Covid

Meet the Grace cast

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace – John Simm

Where have you seen him before?

Life on Mars, Doctor Who, The Lakes, 24 Hour Party People.

John Simm on DS Grace

“He’s pretty inscrutable. He’s a brilliant cop. He’s had a wonderful career and also has been visited by a tragedy with his wife going missing. For such a brilliant detective it’s sort of ironic that he can’t solve that. So that’s always hanging over him.

“He uses strange methods. If it works, it works – he goes for it. He just wants to get the result, that’s it. He doesn’t care about what people think. Having said that, he’s not maverick or anything, he’s just a really good police officer.

“When we meet him he’s really down on his luck, he’s in the middle of a trial. He went to see a medium to try and help him, a friend of his called Harry Frame who’s helped him before. And this was picked up by the media and it’s been brought up in the trial.

"So he’s in the middle of a really stressful trial, he’s been demoted while this happens – he’s been demoted to cold cases. He’s in an office doing paperwork and pretty down on his luck when we first meet him.”

Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson – Richie Campbell

Where have you seen him before?

Liar, The Bill, Waterloo Road, Anuvahood.

Richie Campbell on DS Branson

“Branson enjoys watching Grace get back into the swing of things, especially after what Grace has been through. Branson has moved up the ranks and is ambitious to prove his worth but he is taking a risk by bringing Grace back.

“I think taking that risk demonstrates how strong their friendship is. There is a lot of heart towards who they are as people besides the police work. They started off as Grace, maybe being a mentor figure for Branson, but now they are real friends. Branson has learned from Grace and goes on gut instinct rather than necessarily playing by the rules.”

Assistant Chief Constable Alison Vosper – Rakie Ayola

Where have you seen her before?

Holby City, Maisie Raine, Black Mirror, The Pact.

Rakie Ayola on ACC Alison Vosper

“She’s managerial, she’s in that sort of organisational role. And she admires and respects Grace very, very much. She knows that he’s a good detective.

“What she doesn’t love is his unorthodox methods because she has to explain them to the people upstairs and to the press. Even when they work, even when he’s made the right call, policing as far as she’s concerned is not a spiritual, new agey, other-worldly profession and so she has no way of spinning the fact that he often does what he does. She has no procedural way of selling that.

“That frustrates her… but she knows that he’s a great detective. She knows that he’s also going through something emotionally as well so maybe it’s all too much – she’s asking too much of him and he’s asking too much of himself. He’s brilliant at his job but he’s infuriating.”

DS Bella Moy – Laura Elphinstone

Where have you seen her before?

Chernobyl, Line of Duty, Game of Thrones

DC Emma Jane Boutwood – Amaka Okafor

Where have you seen her before?

The Split, Des

Ashley Haynes – Played by Alisha Bailey

Where have you seen her before?

Save Me, Strike, Chewing Gum

What is Grace about?

The first film is an adaptation of the first novel, called Dead Simple. DS Roy Grace – who is tormented by the disappearance of his wife six years ago – has been demoted and should be working on cold cases. However, when a local property developer goes missing on a stag night, Detective Sergeant Branson comes to Grace for advice, prompting Grace to join the investigation.

As Grace’s instincts help unravel the events of the fateful stag night, it becomes clear that some know more than they are letting on – and a missing persons inquiry may be something more sinister.

Where is Grace filmed?

Like the books, Grace is set in the south-coast city of Brighton and the entire production was created there.

“I knew Brighton fairly well before this because we’d visited many times,” said John Simm. “I’ve always loved Brighton and it was a lovely place to film.

“It’s a beautiful place which we see in these films, but Peter James also shows us a dark underbelly in his novels.”

Is there a second episode of Grace?

Yes – a second film, based on the book Looking Good Dead, has been produced and is still due to be scheduled by ITV.

Is there a season 2 of Grace?

Three further Grace films have started filming in and around Brighton, including the West Sussex town of Burgess Hill.

The three 120-minute films are based on the Peter James books Not Dead Enough, Dead Man’s Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow.

John Simm, who reprises his role alongside Richie Campbell and Rakie Ayola, said: "Everyone involved with Grace is very excited to be back in Brighton bringing the next three Peter James novels to the screen. Like the first two, they’ve been brilliantly adapted by Russell Lewis and we can’t wait to get started.”

Arthur Darvill (Broadchurch) will guest star in the first film while Zoe Tapper (The One, Liar) also joins the cast as recurring character, Cleo Morey, a mortuary technician who takes a shine to Grace.

Watch the first episode of Grace on the ITV Hub.