Warren Brown: New role in A Taste for Murder, painful split with famous girlfriend, and forgotten role as soap villain
He's a popular TV actor with good reason!
Warren Brown is back on our screens playing a widowed copper in A Taste for Murder and, like his character, he has suffered heartbreak in his real life as well.
The actor is one of British TV’s most bankable actors, having appeared in Luther, Strike Back, Trigger Point, Ten Pound Poms, and The Responder.
He’s more than proved himself as leading man material. And there’s a hefty portion of the public who admire him for more than just his acting talents… So you might be surprised to hear that the actor is single, and has been since a painful split earlier this year.
Here’s everything you need to know about Warren Brown’s new role in A Taste for Murder on ITV, how he became famous, and what’s happening in his love life…
Warren Brown stars as DCI Joe Mottram in A Taste for Murder
Actor Warren Brown plays DCI Joe Mottram in the new crime drama. The DCI decides to take a well-needed sabbatical after the sudden death of his Italian wife Sofia. For Joe, a summer visiting family in Italy was meant to offer refuge and a chance to heal broken family bonds – not least with his teenage daughter Angelica.
His in-laws Chef Gennaro and Elena Da Vinale run a popular seaside restaurant, and they welcome Joe and Angelica with open arms. While there, police work is the last thing on Joe’s mind… But, of course, life has other plans.
A synopsis tells us: “Police arrest Gennaro’s nephew and sous-chef, Luca, for murder after a local man’s body is found dead on a beach. Joe can’t avoid getting involved in the investigation. However, he soon finds himself clashing with local Inspector Lara Sarrancino.
“It seems murder follows Joe wherever he goes and, before long, he and Lara have formed a grudging partnership, solving a variety of unusual crimes on the island.”
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What TV shows has Warren Brown been in?
Warren Brown has been on our screens for two decades, ever since he first appeared as Donny Maguire in two episodes of Shameless in 2004.
A year later, he popped up as villain Andy Holt in four episodes of Hollyoaks, and subsequent spin-offs Hollyoaks: No Going Back, Hollyoaks: Back from the Dead, and Hollyoaks: Crossing the Line. His character famously died after being impaled on a spike!
Andy Holt had a short but very dramatic stay in Cheshire, committing a string of date rapes before coming to a sticky (and sharp and pointy) end.
After brief appearances in Jane Hall, Life on Mars, Mobile, Coming Up, and Spooks: Code 9, he won the role of Marky in Dead Set. The series was a thriller spoof of Big Brother. During the fictional series of the reality show, a zombie outbreak occurred, but the housemates were unaware of the impending doom outside of the house.
Between 2007 and 2009, Warren played Alex in the Sheridan Smith drama Grownups. Other notable roles include Marcus in Inside Men, John Paul Rocksavage in Good Cop, Joe Mancetta in Homefront, and Jack Quinn in By Any Means.
More recently, Warren has proven his leading man credentials in Strike Back, Trigger Point, Luther, X Company, Liar, The Responder, and The Gathering. Basically if it was any good, Warren was probably in it.
Was Warren Brown in The Responder?
Actor Warren Brown portrayed Raymond Mullen in The Responder series 1 and 2. Raymond was a jobsworth police officer, intent on bringing down the main character Chris, played by Martin Freeman.
Talking about his character, Warren has previously said: “I’ve been involved in police dramas [including Luther], and it’s such a huge market. But The Responder isn’t really about the procedures; it’s about human nature and the characters in this world.
“I’ve been in cop shows where it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re the good guy’. But no one likes Ray, which I actually liked. He’s out to bring the main guy down. Ray has really got it in for Chris.”
Talking to press, he added: “If you think [Chris] has got enough on his plate already, it’s only going to get worse as the show goes on. My character Ray Mullen is also in the police and it becomes very apparent that he’s got quite a strong dislike for our lead man Chris Carson.
“And it would appear that he’s out to get him and to try and get him out of the job and to do that by whatever means. And if that means manipulating people, then I think he may go down that route and make life even more complicated than it is.”
In the first series, it became clear that Ray had history with Chris’ wife Kate (MyAnna Buring), too. In series 2, Chris and Kate are adjusting to being separated. And sneaky Ray has got his foot in the door.
Why did he leave Luther?
In 2010, he won arguably one of his most popular roles to date. He played DS Justin Ripley in Idris Elba detective drama Luther. And, once again, viewers saw him die a painful death when his popular character was shot in the chest.
At the time, he told Digital Spy: “Luther’s been a fantastic job for me. I’ve loved it from the beginning and made some great friends on it – Idris [Elba] and some of the other cast, and directors.
“Of course, I’d love to still be involved. But I was very happy leaving at that time and with such a great storyline that made such an impact. Luther fans still talk about it. Now I can watch this new series as a viewer, knowing nothing about it.”
Warren Brown and his Luther co-star Idris Elba still remain firm friends to this day.
How old is A Taste for Murder actor Warren Brown? Where is he from?
Warren Martin Brown was born on May 11, 1978, in Warrington, Cheshire.
At the time of writing he was 47 years of age, but on the cusp of 48!
He studied Performance Arts at the University of Salford, and additional training at the Manchester School of Acting.
Does Warren Brown have a partner?
Warren Brown is currently single, having split up from a long-term relationship just a few months ago.
He was previously dating Sky Sports presenter Anna Woolhouse, who is 42. The actor ‘went public’ with his TV star girlfriend in June 2023. At the time, he shared some cute snaps to his Instagram.
The actor posted a selfie sharing a couple of Aperol Spritz with presenter Anna. Warren captioned the post: “She makes a cracking Aperol and she’s an absolute knockout!”
After that, Warren’s Insta feed was covered with photos of Anna, who is Sky Sport’s leading boxing presenter, covering Sky’s pay-per-view and regular coverage.
In another post, Warren shared a photo of the pair on holiday together. Alongside the snap, he simply wrote: “Punching!”
The pair also attending multiple red carpet events together, and made a cracking pair.
Is Warren Brown still with Anna Woolhouse?
Warren and Anna split after three years of dating earlier this year. In March 2026, Warren unfollowed Anna on Instagram – and vice versa. They both deleted all photos of each other in another damning update on their relationship status.
A source told The Sun: “Sadly Warren and Anna weren’t to be and they quietly ended their relationship recently. Anna is back on the dating scene and is sure to be snapped up by a suitor soon, with her having no end of admirers.”
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Does A Taste for Murder star Warren Brown still do Thai boxing?
Warren was a professional Thai boxer for 10 years and remains passionate about the sport – which would explain his physique. His years of hard training paid off after he was twice crowned World Thai Boxing Champion. Unbelievably, Warren even won a bout with a broken leg!
Talking to Cheshire Live, Warren revealed how he joined a Thai boxing gym in Warrington when he was 15. He said: “I did a bit of karate when I was younger, but I went and immediately fell in love with Thai boxing.
“I guess there was an element of natural ability, but then it kind of took over my life.”
In the following years, he competed in Thai boxing competitions, winning three British titles and a Commonwealth title before the age of 21.
Just a week after his 21st birthday in 1999, he was crowned a WAKO Pro world champion at light-welterweight Thai boxing, after competing against the world champion Carlo Barbuto in Italy. That same year, he was awarded the Warrington Sports Personality Award. He went on to win the world title belt again in 2001.
