The Control Room BBC cast
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BBC One’s The Control Room: Thriller with Game of Thrones cast

It's a gripping new drama series with a cast you'll no doubt recognise

The Control Room is the latest gripping drama from BBC One, and it has a cast of actors from Game of Thrones, Line of Duty and Roadkill.

The three-part thriller airs over three consecutive nights this week, and will leave you guessing until the very end.

So who stars in the cast of BBC series The Control Room?

Here’s everything you need to know!

The Control Room BBC cast
The Control Room BBC cast: Iain De Caestecker as Gabe, and Joanna Vanderham as Sam (Credit: BBC One)

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The Control Room BBC cast: Iain De Caestecker plays Gabe

Glasgow-born actor Iain De Caestecker, 34, portrays lead character Gabe in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One.

He’ll be known to Coronation Street fans as the original Adam Barlow!

Iain’s first appearance on TV was when he was just 12 years old.

He played Billy in the short film Billy ands Zorba, before portraying Nigel in the film The Little Vampire.

The Scottish actor went on to appear in Monarch of the Glen, Rockface and 18 Years of Alcohol, before he won the role in Corrie.

He’s since appeared in dramas including Lip Service, The Fades, and Young James Herriot.

However, he shot to international fame when he starred as Agent Leo Fitz in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2013 to 2020.

More recently, he’s appeared in Roadkill, and Us.

Playing Gabe in primetime BBC thriller The Control Room is arguably his biggest role to date.

Sharon Rooney in The Control Room
Sharon Rooney as DI Breck in in The Control Room (Credit: BBC One)

Sharon Rooney stars as Breck

Actress Sharon Rooney, 33, portrays Gabe’s boss DI Breck in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One.

She was born in Glasgow like her The Control Room co-star Iain De Caestecker.

Sharon is perhaps best known for her central role in My Mad Fat Diary.

She played Rachel ‘Rae’ Earl between 2013 and 2015, and Sharon admits it’s the role she’s most recognised for.

The actress has also appeared in numerous TV series including Two Doors Down, Sherlock, Mountain Goats, Brief Encounters and The Tunnel.

Sharon portrayed Faye Caddy in No Offence, Barbara in Zapped, Ruth in Jerk and Becky in The Capture.

Disney fans will know Sharon from her role as Miss Atlantis in Tim Burton’s Dumbo in 2019.

More recently, Sharon played Nicola in Finding Alice opposite Keeley Hawes – a role she’ll be reprising in the upcoming series two.

Most recently, she played Doreen in McDonald & Dodds, Josephine Wain in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, and Bertha in Deep Heat.

She also played jealous teacher Nina in the cast of The Teacher on Channel 5.

Taj Atwal as Leigh in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One
Taj Atwal as Leigh in the cast of The Control Room (Credit: BBC One)

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Taj Atwal portrays Leigh in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One

Norwich-born actress Taj Atwal, 34, stars as Gabe’s colleague Leigh in The Control Room.

Line of Duty fans will recognise her as PC Tatleen Sohota, a role she played for six episodes in 2019 during series 5.

She’s probably well known for playing Roxy in the cast of The Syndicate series 4, too.

Taj has been on our TV screens ever since 2012, when she first appeared as Megan in In with the Flynns.

She’s since starred in Miranda, Moving On, The Break, No Offence, and Trying.

Other significant roles have included Jasmin in In the Club, Jasminder in Stella, Reshma in Pitching In, Hana in Cold Call, and Elara in Truth Seekers.

Most recently, she’s played Special Agent Linda Amisted in the film Memory, and Rana in Hullraisers.

Joanna Vanderham as Sam in The Control Room
Joanna Vanderham as Sam in The Control Room (Credit: BBC One)

Joanna Vanderham plays Sam

Scottish actress Joanna Vanderham, 31, appears as Sam in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One.

She was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her debut role as Cathy in the Sky One crime drama The Runaway in 2011.

Pretty good for her first acting role!

Joanna went on to play Jenny Muirhead in Young James Herriot, Amanda Delany in Above Suspicion, Ellie in Marple, and Pamela in Dancing on the Edge.

Her film roles have included Margo in What Maisie Knew, Jessica in Blackwood, and Sunny in Eddie & Sunny.

She’s also played Amanda Drummond in Crime, Penelope Blake in Warrior, and Atropos in Legends of Tomorrow.

Other significant roles include Kitty McVitie in The Banished, and Denise Lovett in The Paradise.

Stuart Bowman as Ian in The Control Room cast
Stuart Bowman as Ian in The Control Room cast (Credit: BBC One)

Stuart Bowman stars as Ian in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One

Actor Stuart Bowman, also Scottish, plays Gabe’s dad Ian in The Control Room.

He is known for playing the head of MI5, Stephen Hunter-Dunn, in the BBC’s Bodyguard.

He’s also made regular appearances as Sergeant Thomson in Gary: Tank Commander, and played Alexandre Bontemps in the Canal+ series Versailles.

Stuart has been on TV since 1996, and has appeared in the likes of Holby City, The Bill, Taggart, and Doctors.

He also played Dr Mark Denham-Johnson in the chilling David Tennant thriller Deadwater Fell, and Graeme Stanton in The Serpent.

More recently, Stuart has played Roy Lynch in Guilt, Sean Palmer in Alex Rider, and Bishop Aubrey Gray in Grantchester.

Daniel Portman as Anthony in The Control Room
Daniel Portman as Anthony in The Control Room (Credit: BBC One)

Daniel Portman portrays Anthony

Thirty-year-old Scottish actor Daniel Portman stars as Anthony in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One.

Game of Thrones fans will most definitely recognise the actor as loyal knight Podrick in the series.

He played the role in all eight seasons of the epic HBO drama.

Daniel went on to play CPO Gary Walsh in BBC drama Vigil.

Film roles have included Angus McDonald in Robert the Bruce, Max Kavinsky in In the Cloud, and Frank in The Journey.

Robbo and Eilidh in The Control Room
The Control Room BBC cast: Daniel Cahill as Robbo and Chalene Boyd as Eilidh (Credit: BBC One)

Who else stars in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One?

Absentia actress Rona Morison portrays Danni in the cast of The Control Room on BBC One.

Taqi Nazeer, who played Larson in Shetland, is Jat.

Meanwhile, relative newcomer Conor McLeod stars as Ross, Natali McCleary is Lennie, Jatinder Singh Randhawa plays Tah, and Harvey Calderwood stars as a Young Gabe.

Farrah Thomas is Young Sam, River City’s Ty McPhee plays Young Robbo, and Charlotte Gemmell portrays Young Eilidh.

Followers actor Daniel Cahill is Robbo, and Charlene Boyd plays Eilidh.

TV viewers might know actress Charlene as Jac Dunn in River City, or Ronna Ricardo in The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Big City Park actress Sarah McCardie stars as Dr Woodward, while Yolanda Mitchell, Nicola Meehan, Chris Alexander, Christine Steel and Eleanor House all take smaller parts.

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The Control Room starts on Sunday July 17 2022, and continues on Monday July 18 and Tuesday July 19 at 9pm on BBC One.

What’s been your favourite BBC One drama recently? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Helen Fear
TV Editor