There impressive guest cast of Karen Pirie series 2 keeps on coming in episode 2. And this includes one very familiar face from Coronation Street and Holby City – John Michie. 

Karen Pirie’s format may be one story set over three, two-hour episodes, but that doesn’t mean that the show isn’t changing, evolving and introducing new elements and surprises with each new instalment. This second episode is no exception. Now that Karen and her team have discovered there’s a link between Cat and Mick, it opens up a whole new load of avenues to explore.

In 1984, Cat’s parents are furious when DI Anderson has to release his prime suspect. So they decide to offer a reward for information, muddying the waters for the police, and leading to Anderson being thrown off the investigation.

In the present day, forensic evidence from the body at the quarry comes back to the team in 2024, further complicating the case. And Karen hits a brick wall when she comes face to face with Adam’s father, Fergus, before uncovering that the three suspects were keeping secrets from each other.

For a list of all the ongoing characters already introduced in the series opener, check out our Karen Pirie series 2 episode 1 cast article. But for the skinny on the new cast and characters in this episode, read on…

Karen Pirie, series 2, episode 2 guest cast

Holby City’s John Michie guest stars as the older Fergus Sinclair

Fergus Sinclair, back in the early ’80s, was the guy who got Cat pregnant, then dumped her when she refused to have an abortion. He was an employee in Sir Brodie’s company, but as he has a “brilliant business brain”, Sir Brodie never even considered sacking him, and they remained close colleagues. Another reason for Cat to loathe her dad.

In the 2024 storyline, Fergus is still working for Sir Brodie. Fergus now looks exactly like actor John Michie, who you almost certainly know from a number of iconic British TV shows.

John Michie is a former resident of Coronation Street, where he played bad boy Karl Munro from 2011-2013 (he burnt down the Rovers Return and unplugged Sunita Alahan from her life support machine). Before that he appeared in 13 series of Taggart as DI Robbie Ross (1998-2010) and spent a few years at Holby City hospital as neurosurgeon Guy Self (2013-2016).

He also has a recurring role as a shifty businessman in the new series of Ridley (2025).

Kate Donnelly plays the older version of Jenny Prentice

Jenny Prentice is the wife of Mick Prentice, one of the suspected kidnappers. She was his wife in 1984, when he was a striking miner, and she still is his wife in 2024 when Karen Pirie and Mint interview her, even though she hasn’t seen her husband for 40 years. Because she believed he’d turned scab and broken the picket line, she couldn’t be bothered trying to find him.

The older Jenny is played by Kate Donnelly, one of a number of Still Game actors peppered throughout this three-parter.

She played librarian Frances, who married miserly old Tam Mullen (and became Britain’s oldest mum), appearing in 12 episodes of the much-loved Scottish sitcom from 2003 to 2019.

Other guest appearances include Taggart (2002, 2005), Rebus (2006), Outlander (2015) and series three of Shetland as care home worker Grace (2016). She also wrote and starred in Cracked (2008), a six-part, obscure comedy-drama for STV about a residential rehab clinic in the Scottish countryside.

Matt Costello appears as the older Tom Robertson

Miner Tom Robertson became Jenny Prentice’s long-time partner after her husband, Mick, vanished in 1984. He’s still with her in 2024 when Karen and Mint interview Jenny about the kidnapping.

Guess what? Matt Costello had a recurring role in Still Game. He played Stevie the bookie in eight episodes across the entire series (2002-2019). Considered by Winston to be the worst bookie in Britain, Stevie is generally loathed by everyone in Craiglang.

Maureen Carr plays Bridget Early

Bridget Early is the in-house forger for the Lennox crime clan, and wife of Craig Lennox. She was convicted of faking documents in the early ’90s, then moved onto money laundering. She is known to have connections with Kevin Campbell (whose body is found with a fake passport). She’s halfway through a 10-year stint in prison when Karen and Phi interview her.

It’s very different role to the main that Carr is most associated with – as Moira, the manager of the Big Hub community market, she sang and danced her way through all six seasons of the CBeebies musical comedy show Molly and Mack (2018-2022).

Read more: Karen Pirie series 2 episode 1 recap – those gasp twists explained

Plus, she’s another Still Game regular in this series of Karen Pirie, having appeared as Edith in seven episodes, though you might not recognise her without the hunchback, moles and rotten teeth (none of which stopped Edith working her way through men).

Other appearances include Monarch of the Glen (2004), four different characters in Taggart (from 1993-2008), a cadaverous old witch called the Dochraid in Merlin (2011-2012) and Theresa O’Hara in River City (2018-2021).

Tommaso Basili plays Gabriel

Gabriel is an activist, arrested a number of times for assisting migrants and small boats off the coast of Sicily. We’ll say no more in case you haven’t seen the end of the episode yet, but he makes a memorable and game-changing debut.

Basili has previously had roles in the Sky drama Devils (2022), a series one episode of Good Ship Murder (2023) and Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints (2024). But mostly he stars in a lot of Italian TV shows that a British streamer might pick up one day when they tire of buying in Korean dramas.

Cameron Fulton appears as Cameron Murdoch

Cameron Murdoch is a petty thief who’s contacted anonymously via mobile by someone who needs him to steal Karen’s phone, laptop and hard drive.

Cameron Fulton, who plays Murdoch, appeared in the first season of Prime Video’s sci-fi thriller The Rig, as one of the first crew members to be infected by the mysterious force, and spending a few episode drawing circles in the sand before dying.

He also had a key role in season two of the Interview With A Vampire spin-off Mayfair Witches as Hamish Mayfair (2025). Other appearances include the Bafta award-nominated film Limbo (2020) and Outlander (2023), but his day job remains playing Tyler Foulkes on Scots soap River City (2020-2025).

Karen Pirie series 2, episode 2 complete cast list

Lauren Lyle stars as DI Karen Pirie
Chris Jenks co-stars DC Jason Murray
Zach Wyatt plays DS Phil Parhatka
Emer Kenny appears as River Wilde
Saskia Ashdown is DC Isla Stark
Steve John Shepherd returns as DCS Simon Lees
Rakhee Thakrar in the role of Bel Richmond
Julia Brown guest stars as Catriona Grant
Mark Rowley appears as Mick Prentice Jnr
John Michie makes an impact as Fergus Sinclair Snr
Kat Ronnie plays Bonnie Jnr
Conor Berry portrays Andy Kerr
Stuart Campbell appears as Kevin Campbell
Calum MacLean portrays Tom Robertson Jnr
Kate Donnelly is Jenny Snr
Rachel Dick plays Jenny Jnr
Matt Costello plays Tom Robertson Snr
James Cosmo appears as Brodie Grant Snr
Frances Tomelty is Mary Grant Snr
Madeleine Worrall plays Mary Grant Jnr
Jamie Michie returns as Brodie Grant Jnr
Thoren Ferguson portrays DI Anderson
Helen Katamba appears as WDC Laurel Blair
Cameron Fulton as Cameron Murdoch
Tommaso Basili debuts as Gabriel
Jim Twaddle is DCS Calder
Maureen Carr cameos as Bridget Early
Tony Cownie portrays Neville Atkins
Carlotta Morelli plays Renata Rossi
Alex & Andrew Gilmour as Adam Grant
Emma Cameron appears as News Presenter

Karen Pirie series 2 is currently airing on ITV1 on Sundays at 8pm and all episodes are available in ITVX