Dougray Scott leads the cast of BBC's thrilling new children's series Crookhaven

Keith Allen has also landed a role in the BBC film adaptation of J.J. Arcanjo's Crookhaven, while Amari Bacchus has been cast as one of the students. The BBC has revealed the cast of Crookhaven, an ambitious television adaptation of author J.J. Arcanjo’s best-selling book series. The lead role will be played by Dougray Scott, who will play Caspian Lockett – the mysterious and charismatic headmaster of Crookhaven, a secret school that trains youngsters to become master thieves with a moral compass.


Dougray Scott

Crookhaven centers on a group of talented youngsters known as "Crooklings," who are trained to use their unconventional skills—such as cunning, manipulation, and engineering—for good. Under Lockett's guidance, they learn not only to perfect their unique talents, but also how to restore balance, justice, and order to the outside world.

In addition to Dougray Scott, the cast is joined by his real-life wife Claire Forlani, known from Industry, who plays Carmen, Lockett's wife. Keith Allen and Amari Bacchus will also play important roles. Bacchus, who made an impression last year in Netflix's successful series Adolescence, plays one of the young students.

Scott received the International Emmy Award for Best Actor and a BAFTA for his performance in the Scottish crime series Crime. He has appeared as Dr. Norman Godfrey in the Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove, Vic Hill in the comedy-drama series Snatch (Crackle), Jacob Keene in the superhero series Batwoman (The CW), Tony Lord in the crime thriller A Town Called Malice (Sky Max), Marcus Grainger in the police series Vigil (BBC One), and more.

Allen has played roles in Marcella (ITV), The Pembrokeshire Murders (ITV) and Steeltown Murders (BBC One).

With its combination of a compelling premise, strong source material and an impressive cast, Crookhaven looks set to be a promising addition to the BBC’s line-up of high-quality children’s series.