Casting Announced For Apple’s ‘The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin’ Starring Noel Fielding
Apple TV+ has announced a huge host of familiar British cast who will be joining Noel Fielding in ‘The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin‘, an upcoming adventure comedy series, which sees Fielding take the title role as the legendary highwayman.
Dick Turpin always believed he was destined for something bigger than a lifetime working in his father’s butcher shop… and he was right. When, almost without realizing it, he becomes the leader of the Essex Gang (a notorious group of outlaws) he realizes that he has found his calling. Yes, he’s vegan, peace-loving, and believes that good manners are more effective than guns, but what he lacks in thieving craft he makes up for in imagination, invention, and incredibly pointy purple shoes.
In this irreverent tale, Dick is the most famous and unlikely of highwaymen, his success defined primarily by his charm, style, and hair. Along with his gang of lovable rogues, Dick rides the ups and downs of fame, doing what he can to escape the clutches of the Anti-Thieves General.
Joining Fielding as series regulars are:
Emmy, Golden Globe & SAG Awards winner, Hugh Bonneville (“The Gold,” “Paddington,” “W1A”) as Jonathan Wilde, a man who has spent years climbing the greasy pole to become Thief-Taker General. An utterly corrupt lawman with a vacuum where his morals should live, Wilde has a ferocious appetite to expand his criminal enterprise.
BAFTA TV Award and RTS Award-winning Asim Chaudhry (“People Just Do Nothing,” “Black Mirror,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”) as Craig the Warlock, a man petrified of being caught performing magic without a licence. He’s attempted to pass his official warlock exams multiple times and racked up hundreds of major errors.
Olivier Awards winner and BAFTA TV Awards nominated Tamsin Greig (“Green Wing,” “Episodes,” “Friday Night Dinner”) as Lady Helen Gwinear, the elected leader of the Syndicate, a union of organised crime groups with fingers in every pie from illicit eel husbandry to diamond smuggling. A working mother who fought her way up the greasy pole of the crime underworld, Helen is an uncompromising and brutal boss.
Mark Heap (“Friday Night Dinner,” “Green Wing”) plays John Turpin, Hempstead’s irascible butcher, and father of Dick. Lover of meat – hater of vegetables. He hides his affection for his only son under a layer of cynicism so deep not even a meat cleaver could penetrate it.
Joe Wilkinson (“After Life,” “The Cockfields”) plays Geoffrey the Gaoler, the ultimate nihilist, who will tout his mediocre services to anyone in need of a jailer, security guard or general dogsbody – no questions asked.
British Comedy Award and Rose d’Or Award-winning Marc Wootton (“My New Best Friend,” “Nativity!,”) plays Moose Pleck, one of Dick’s Essex Gang. A terrifying-looking man-mountain, but on the inside he’s just a big old softie. After years of being terrorised by various brutal gang leaders, he’s convinced he’s found his soulmate in Dick.
Ellie White (“Wonka,” “Stath Lets Flats”) plays Nell Brazier, another of Dick’s Essex Gang, who has dreamed of being a highwayman since she was a little girl. Brought up in luxury, Nell threw away dresses for ditches and ran away at sixteen to make it on her own.
If all that wasn’t enough, the series regulars also include Noel’s actual brother, Michael Fielding (“The Mighty Boosh”), as Benny Turpin, Kiri Flaherty (“PADDY”) as Little Karen, Samuel Leakey (‘Treason”) as Christopher Wilde, Geoff McGivern (“Ghosts”, “Back”) as Lord Rookwood, and Dolly Wells (“The Outlaws”, “Dracula”) as Eliza Bean.
If that still isn’t enough British talent for you, they have also lined up an impressive slew of guest spots as well! Popping up across the run will be Greg Davies (“The Cleaner”, “The Inbetweeners”) as Leslie Duvall, Jessica Hynes (“Years and Years”, “Spaced”) as The Reddlehag, Paul Kaye (“Vera”, “Game Of Thrones”, “The Stranger”) as Ratclyff, Guz Khan (“Man Like Mobeen”) as Gow, Diane Morgan (“Motherland”, “Cunk On Earth”) as Maureen, Connor Swindells (“Sex Education”) as Tommy Silversides, Laura Checkley (“Detectorists”) as Sandra, and David Threlfall (“Shameless”, “Funny Woman”) as Tom King.
Produced for Apple TV+ by Big Talk Productions, part of ITV Studios, the series will be directed by Ben Palmer (‘The Inbetweeners Movie’, ‘Breeders’), written and created by Claire Downes, Stuart Lane and Ian Jarvis (‘The Outlaws’, ‘The Job Lot’), with Fielding and Jeremy Dyson (‘The League Of Gentlemen’) as script consultants. The first three episodes are directed by Ben Palmer (‘The Inbetweeners’), with Episodes 4-6 directed by George Kane (‘Timewasters’). Executive producers are Kenton Allen, Fielding, Victoria Grew, Matthew Justice and Palmer.
This isn’t the first tv series to be based around “Dick Turpin”. Those of you of a certain age may remember the ITV show which starred Richard O’Sullivan as the highwayman from 1979 to 1982. There were also a number of silent films in the 1920s, along with Sid James appearing as Turpin in the 1974 film ‘Carry On Dick’.
‘The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin‘ does not yet have a premiere date, but if you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
