In Flight on Channel 4 cast: Katherine Kelly stars alongside real life boyfriend in crime thriller
Helen Fear | 12:01am Tue 12 Aug | Updated 6:23pm Thu 7 AugIn Flight is ready to land on Channel 4, and the cast will be at our service – not for packets of nuts and double gins, but to bring us the sort of tension we wouldn’t normally welcome on a plane 40,000 feet in the air.
This is the latest thriller from Channel 4, which follows a flight attendant who is forced into an impossible position… The team behind Marcella, Crime, and The Burning Girls produced it, so we know we’re in good hands.
If you’re not already convinced, the ever-brilliant Katherine Kelly leads the cast of the new series. And she’s joined by stars from Ridley, Jamestown, and Top Boy.
Here’s who plays who in the cast of In Flight on Channel 4, and where you’ve seen them before…
Actress Katherine Kelly leads the cast as Jo Conran in In Flight [Credit: Channel 4]
Katherine Kelly plays flight attendant Jo Conran
The always compelling Katherine Kelly portrays flight attendant and single mum Jo Conran. Her life is turned upside down when she is blackmailed into smuggling drugs after her son is arrested.
Jo’s son is serving a 15-year sentence in a Bulgarian prison for a murder he swears he did not commit. She finds herself being blackmailed into smuggling drugs when a gang approaches her threatening all sorts of nasties. She soon finds herself pulled into a murky underworld of corrupt cops and hired killers…
TV viewers will know that Barnsley-born Katherine made her name playing Becky McDonald in ITV soap Coronation Street. She went on to become one of the most bankable actresses in the UK.
Nowadays, viewers probably know her best for playing Lady Mae Rennard in Mr Selfridge. Other huge roles include Jodie Shackleton in Happy Valley, and Elizabeth Sutherland in Gentleman Jack. She’s no stranger to a juicy thriller, either, having appeared in Liar, Innocent, Protection, and The Crow Girl.
In the past few years, the 45-year-old has appeared in some hard-hitting dramas. She played Angela Van Den Bogerd in the heartbreakingly-good Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, and Emily Jackson in The Long Shadow.
Her fans will know she can ace comedy too, with funny roles in Ruby Speaking, Black Ops, and Bloods.
Katherine Kelly said about her role in In Flight: “I am really excited to be taking on the role of Jo. I can’t wait to tell her compelling story. I am delighted to be working with Buccaneer Media again, and it’s joy to be filming in Belfast.”
Actor Stuart Martin plays Cormac, a key member of the criminal gang [Credit: Channel 4]
In Flight cast on Channel 4: Stuart Martin stars as
Joining the ensemble cast is Stuart Martin, who plays , a key member of the criminal gang. Scottish actor Stuart, 39, is perhaps best known for playing William ‘The Duke’ Wellington in Miss Scarlet and the Duke. The character is a world away from his new threatening role in In Flight.
Stuart has been on our screens since 2008, when he first appeared in the short film Fault Lines. He subsequently went on to star in episodes of Taggart, Hatfields & McCoys, River City, and The Field of Blood.
Arguably his first big role was playing Lindsay in the Chris Ramsay comedy Hebburn. He appeared opposite his real life wife Lisa McGrillis. He has two kids with the Rivals actress.
In 2014, Stuart played PC Tony Forbes in the brilliant black comedy Babylon, and went on to portray Luke Wilkinson in Crossing Lines, and Lorenzo in Medici.
Between 2017 and 2019, the actor starred as Silas Sharrow in Jamestown. And he’s lead the cast of period detective drama Miss Scarlet and the Duke since 2020.
Other notable roles include voicing Leif in the cast of animated Twilight of the Gods, Stuart Lennox in Crime, Alan Forbes in the podcast series The Harrowing, and Jason Simons in Silent Witness.
He’s also been in multiple films, including Robin Hood, 50 Kisses, My Accomplice, Slow West, A Song for Jenny, and Only You. More recently, he’s portrayed Den in Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, and the sequel Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.
Top Boy’s Ashley Thomas stars as customs officer Dom [Credit: Channel 4]
Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas portrays customs officer
Londoner Ashley Thomas, 40, stars as Jo’s love interest and former copper Dom Delaney. He’s a customs officer at a major London airport, who tries to help Jo.
Music fans will perhaps know Ashley best by his stage name Bashy. In the 2000s, he was known as a grime artist and rapper. He released singles including Black Boys, and his 2009 debut album Catch Me If You Can was nominated for the 2009 MOBO Award for Album of the Year. He’s also worked with the Gorillaz and Kano. More recently, he’s concentrated on his acting career.
Thomas landed his first role in 2010 as Rager in British flick, Shank. The independent action film was set in a decaying future London. Other film roles followed in 4.3.2.1., The Veteran, and The Estate.
TV viewers will probably know him best for playing Jermaine in Top Boy, a role he played on and off between
He’s also famous for playing Gil in the 2016 TV series Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, and Isaac Carter in 24: Legacy. In 2018, Ashley starred as Alonzo Carter in the sci-fi series Salvation, before going on to play Henry Emory in Them.
Other notable TV roles include Judge Wraith in Black Mirror, Calvin Hart in The Night Of, Malcolm Rose in Ice, and Paul Maddox in The Ipcress Files.
More recently, Ashley portrayed convict Jaggers in the 2023 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. He’s also starred as Byron Bennett in Black Cake, and Alessandro de Medici in The Serpent Queen.
This year, Netflix viewers will see him play Dr Alex Anderson in the Suranne Jones thriller Hostage.
Actress Bronagh Waugh, seen here as Debbie Clumson in Death in Paradise, stars in In Flight (Credit: Red Planet Pictures/Denis Guyenon)
Bronagh Waugh stars as Melanie
Northern Irish actress Bronagh Waugh, 42, plays Melanie Delaney in the cast of In Flight on Channel 4. And, if you watch as much TV as we do, you’ll know she’s been popping up all over the place over the past few years.
Of course, fans of detective dramas will know Bronagh best for her role as Ridley’s inside woman and protegé DI Carol Farham in the ITV show. The series started in 2022, and will subsequently return with a season 2 any day now.
The actress came to fame portraying Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, a role she played from 2009 to 2013. TV viewers will also know her for playing Sally Ann Spector, the wife of serial killer Paul in The Fall, opposite 50 Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan.
Other notable roles include Jessica in Unforgotten, Stella Beckett in Viewpoint, Charlotte Proctor in Des, and Kathy Maguire, the mother of James, in the series 2 finale of Derry Girls.
More recently, mum-of-one Bronagh starred as Alison in ITV thriller Our House, prostitute Cara in The Suspect, Debbie Clumson in Death in Paradise, and Charlotte Wallace in Art Detectives.
In 2024, Bronagh starred as DI Shona Sinclair in The Stolen Girl. Shona was the Senior Detective Inspector in the Manchester Metropolitan police force, who led the investigation in the search for Lucia.
Actress Ambreen Razia as Zara in In Flight [Credit: Channel 4]
Ambreen Razia stars as in the In Flight cast on Channel 4
London-born actress Ambreen Razia, 33, plays Zara Gregston in the C4 thriller. She made her big TV debut in the 2016 TV movie Murdered by My Father. Since then, she’s starred in TV series including Trigonometry, in which she played Naima, and comedy This Way Up, where she portrayed Emma.
No stranger to comedy, Ambreen also appeared in the sketch show The Emily Atack Show, and played Ash in Two Doors Down. In 2023, she popped up as Shandy Fine in the hit Ted Lasso.
Detective Yasmine Thread in The Curse, the comedy crime caper set in early-1980s London. Ambreen went on to star as Shivani in the quirky comedy Starstruck.
Most recently, Ambreen took a break from the laughs and played Blair in the Michael Fassbender thriller The Agency.
Tony Pitts, seen here as DCS Les Hargreaves in Line of Duty, plays a bent copper in In Flight [Credit: BBC]
In Flight cast on Channel 4: Tony Pitts plays Anton Marquis
Sheffield-born actor Tony Pitts, 62, portrays bent copper Anton Marquis in the cast of In Flight on Channel 4. He also happens to be Katherine Kelly’s real life boyfriend!
The pair have been pictured together in public multiple times, and attended the TV BAFTAs together last year. They reportedly met on the set of the 2019 short film Affection.
In 2021, the couple co-founded a production company together called, Make Me Films, and worked together on the feature film Classic.
As an actor, Tony started out in Emmerdale playing Archie Brooks. He portrayed the role for 10 years, between
He went on to play Adrian Scott in the Suranne Jones cop drama Scott & Bailey, Chloe’s Dad in My Mad Fat Diary, Sergeant Moss in Peaky Blinders. Jamestown fans will know him as Edgar Massinger, a role he played for two seasons.
Of course, Line of Duty experts will know him as DCS Les Hargreaves from series 2, 4, and 5. The villainous character first appeared in season two as a member of the Major Violent Crime department, but was later revealed to be working with the Organised Crime Syndicate when undercover officer John Corbett shot and killed him. He was initially believed to be ‘H’ – AC12’s unknown target.
Other notable Tony Pitt roles include Steve Angling in Girl/Haji, Mick ‘The Mouth’ Murray in Roadkill and, more recently, Richard Alderson in All Creatures Great and Small.
Actor Harry Cadby as Sonny in the cast of In Flight [Credit: Channel 4]
Who else stars in the cast of In Flight on Channel 4?
First of all, actor Harry Cadby stars as Jo’s compromised son Sonny Conran. He’s been on our screens since 2022, when he played Gilbert in the James McArdle drama Life After Life.
Harry went on to play Ciaran in the 2022 teen drama Red Rose, and Ricky in David Tennant thriller Inside Man. In 2023, Harry portrayed Matty in the film Little Bone Lodge, before going on to star as Cameron in Everything Now.
Most recently, he appeared in Dope Girls, and O’Dessa. Later this year, he’s set to play
Meanwhile, Corinna Brown plays Kayla. Heartstopper fans will know her as Tara Jones, a role she’s played since 2022. She’s due to reprise the role in the upcoming 2026 film Heartstopper: Forever. Other notable roles include Nashauna in the TV movie My Murder, and Chelsea Craig in Doctors.
Julia Brown plays Amy. She’s known for portraying Lois Bennett in World on Fire, Molly Kilmuir in Shetland, and Keri in MI High. Most recently, Karen Pirie viewers would have seen her playing Catriona Grant.
Shaheen Jafargholi, winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, stars as one of Jo’s colleagues Jordan Black. He is best known for his role as Marty Kirkby in Casualty, and Shakil Kazemi in EastEnders.
Lastly, Olivia Popica plays Rali. The actress played Halima in Tyrant between 2014 and 2016. She went on to portray Fatima in Riviera, and Roxy Novac in The Informer. More recently, she’s known for playing DCI Hobbs in Liaison, Nadya in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Jeaine Cadie in The Wheel of the Time.
In Flight is landing very soon with a killer cast [Credit: Channel 4]
In Flight on Channel 4 full cast list:
Katherine Kelly plays flight attendant Jo Conran.
Stuart Martin stars as criminal gang member Cormac .
Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas portrays customs officer Dominic Delaney.
Bronagh Waugh plays Melanie Delaney.
Ambreen Razia is Zara .
Harry Cadby stars as Jo’s son Sonny Conran.
Corinna Brown plays Kayla.
Olivia Popica is Rali.
Julia Brown plays Amy.
Silo’s Angela Yeoh is Noi.
Shaheen Jafargholi stars as Jo’s colleague Jordan Black.
Art Detectives’ Warren McCook stars as Rory Rayson.
Silent Witness’ Preslav Shipkaliev portrays a hitman.
Bad Sisters’ Niall McNamee stars as Lee Castle.
The Assassin‘s Martin Razpopov is Detective Ivanov.
The Castaways‘ Gloria Garcia plays Marta Da Silva.
Hope Street’s Cliodhna McCorley portrays Aoife Ward.
The Order’s Lyud Hristov is nurse Angelov.
Murder Most Puzzling‘s Charis Agbonlahor stars as DI Shana Wright.
Shake’s Davis Quinn is David A. Torozoff.
The Informer’s Srbo Markovic plays Vladislav.
The Dry’s Mark Asante portrays Marvin.
Hope Street’s Joseph Loane stars as Glenn Lunt.
A Thousand Blows and Bookish star Nadia Albina is Irina Georgiev.
Newcomer India-Rain Fenty plays Lucy Delaney.
Bloodlands’ Vanessa Ifediora plays Shell.
