Babies cast includes Tom Hardy’s movie star wife and Harry Potter’s new Severus Snape
There's an EastEnders star you'll recognise, too
Babies, the new BBC drama from the creator of Him & Her, has a cast full of stars you’ll definitely recognise – including the Harry Potter series’ new Severus Snape.
If you’ve watched any of Stefan Golaszewski’s work, you’ll know the high calibre of performances he gets out of his ensembles.
Whether it’s Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani in Him & Her, Sean Bean and Nicola Walker in Marriage, or Lesley Manville in Mum, he’s always provided the perfect platform to show off his stars’ talents.
Babies, following a couple trying to have a baby, is no different, with its two stars delivering pained, tremendous performances – and the supporting cast is great too.
Babies cast: The main stars of the BBC drama
Paapa Essiedu plays Stephen
Paapa Essiedu plays Stephen, one-half of Babies’ main duo.
Throughout the series, he’s pragmatic (to a fault) and affable (again to a fault). He does his best to support Lisa as she struggles to navigate the trauma of multiple pregnancy losses.
Still, he has two bad habits: he parrots his dad’s “positive mental attitude” outlook, and he rarely allows himself to be truly sad about anything. This leads to a few arguments, but it’s clear his heart is always in the right place.
What movies and TV shows has Paapa Essiedu been in?
Essiedu has already enjoyed an acclaimed, busy career. He’s had a few film roles (including a great turn in 2022’s Men), but he’s become an increasingly prevalent and formidable TV star.
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His first small-screen role came in Channel 4’s incredible Utopia. Since then, he’s appeared in Gangs of London, I May Destroy You, Black Mirror, and The Lazarus Project. The Capture fans will also recognise him as Isaac Turner, who debuted in series 2.
He has a huge role coming up, too: Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot. Will he be as good as Alan Rickman? Time will tell.
Siobhán Cullen portrays Lisa
Siobhán Cullen plays Lisa, Stephen’s wife.
She’s similar to her husband in a lot of ways; she likes to laugh, she has a cutting sense of humour, and they’re great at communicating in unspoken terms.
However, Stephen’s attempts to rationalise their grief often rub her the wrong way – and she doesn’t hesitate to tell him where to go (with a swearier flavour). It’s unclear exactly what her job is, but it appears to be a bog-standard office gig.
Where you’ve seen Siobhán Cullen before Babies
Cullen appeared in series 2 of BBC legal drama The Split. She has also starred in The Long Call, Dalgliesh, and The Dry.
In 2024, she played Dove Maloney in Netflix’s detective drama Bodkin – the same year she won the Rising Star award at the Irish Film & Television Awards.
If you’re a horror fan, 2016’s The Limehouse Golem is also well worth watching. Plus, for ’80s movies aficionados, she’s also set to appear in Henry Cavill’s Highlander remake!
Jack Bannon stars as Dave
Jack Bannon plays Dave, Stephen’s immature best friend.
For the most part, Dave struggles to be serious about anything – unless he’s getting annoyed with his son, Daniel (Zion Veerapen-Bernard) or drunkenly losing his temper.
Any time he speaks to Stephen, they barely make an earnest point about anything. They just laugh and mock each other while awkwardly sipping a pint.
While he’s separated from Daniel’s mum, he’s also in an odd relationship with Amanda.
What has Jack Bannon been in?
DC fans may recognise Bannon from his titular role in Pennyworth (which has since been cancelled).
He’s also appeared in ITV’s Endeavour as Sam Thursday, The Loch, and Netflix’s Pulse. He’s set to star alongside Sophie Turner in Amazon’s Tomb Raider reboot, too.
Charlotte Riley plays Amanda
Charlotte Riley plays one of Babies’ most fascinating characters: Amanda, Dave’s girlfriend.
She is incredibly successful… at whatever she does (it’s a relatively nondescript, high-paying corporate job). She also doesn’t seem like the right fit for Dave, and their relationship is mostly made up of stilted conversations, sex, and not much in the way of any romanticism.
As the series progresses, it becomes clear that Amanda has some emotional baggage of her own.
Where you know Charlotte Riley from
Riley’s filmography includes some big shows and movies. For example, she played May Fitz Carleton in Peaky Blinders, as well as starring in Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow and London Has Fallen.
She also co-starred with Tom Hardy in 2009’s Wuthering Heights and The Take. The latter project is where she met Hardy for the first time… and they ended up getting married!
They have two children together, and Riley is also a stepmother to Hardy’s eldest son from a past relationship.
Who else is in Babies?
There are a few other notable stars in the Babies cast. Nadine Marshall and Gary Beadle play Stephen’s parents, Patty and Kevin.
Marshall starred alongside Siobhan Finneran in Protection, and she also appeared in Waterloo Road, Save Me, and Time. Trigger Point viewers should also recognise her as DSU Marianne Hamilton, and she had a role in Silent Witness (specifically, the ‘Invisible’ storyline) as DI Sarah Torres.
Beadle has enjoyed a storied career in television, with credits in major dramas like Casualty, The Bill, and Holby City.
He also played Paul Trueman in EastEnders for a whopping 375 episodes. You’ve definitely seen him on your telly before, whether it’s Death in Paradise, Grantchester, or Netflix’s The Gentlemen. He also appeared in Andor (the best series on Disney Plus, for our money).
Full Babies cast
- Carla Freeman (Call the Midwife) as Kimberley
- Elizabeth Rider (Line of Duty) as Jenny
- Ryan McKen (Temple) as Matt
- Simona Brown (Behind Her Eyes) as Bella
- Zion Veerapen-Bernard as Daniel
- Lewis Hart (Doctors) as Jim
- Luke Norris (Poldark) as Harry
- Rosie Raven (Open) as Ruth
- Arabella Smith-James (V UK) as Maisie
- Tristan Wright as Charlie
Read more: The 15 best movies to stream on BBC iPlayer right now
