As the action moves to Malta in episode three of Karen Pirie series 2, there are a lot of (very tanned) new faces in the cast, but also a very familiar old face.

The Vicar Of Dibley’s James Fleet – Hugo in the classic ecclesiastical sitcom – turns up to play the older. present-day version of a character we’ve been following in the flashback up until now.

And he brings a whole load of revelations with him, as Karen and Sir Broderick both head to the Mediterranean Island in a race to track down Adam, or Gabriel, his name now. But while Sir Broderick splashes the cash to buy himself some disreputable allies, Team Pirie go on a charm offensive to secure some local help.

Here are all the key new guest stars for Karen Pirie series two, episode three and a guide to where you’ve probably seen them before so you can avoid those, “oh it’s thingy off whatsit” conversations.

Read more: Karen Pirie filming locations as the action moves to a place in the sun

Karen Pirie series 2, episode 3 guest cast

James Fleet guest stars as the older Mick Prentice aks Daniel Porteous

Finally, we get to find out what happened to Mick, Andy, Adam and Cat, and three of them have made it to the present-day plotline. Mick is now going by the name of  Daniel Porteous, and he starts the episode in Italy. But once he knows the police are closing in, he quickly flies to Malta.

Partly because that’s where he thinks his “son” Gabriel (née Adam) might be. And partly because there’s no extradition treaty between the UK and Malta. (Actually, it is possible for the UK to extradite someone form Malta, but it’s not a straightforward procedure. And the show probably wisely thought that inserting a huge chunk of dialogue detailing the hoops that would need to be jumped through wouldn’t make great TV).

James Fleet has spent the last decade or so very successfully taking on some complex and knotty dramatic roles. But for many viewers he’s still defined by a brace of “bumbling, but well meaning posh-boy” roles – Hugo in The Vicar of Dibley (1994-2000) and Tom in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

But even back then he was playing against type – anyone remember his role as a creepy religious cult leader in the hard-as-nails Cracker (1994)?

More recently he’s had meaty roles in Outlander (2014-2016), The Hollow Crown (2016), Belgravia (2020), Bridgerton (2020-2022), Dodger (2022-2023) and The Feud (2025) amongst many, many others. He even found time for seven episodes of Coronation Street as Robbie Sloane, the softly spoken convicted murderer who took Hayley hostage (2010).

Tom Mannion co-stars as Andy Kerr aka Matthias Johnson

Andy Kerr has a new life now in Italy, under the name Matthias Johnson. He’s not a well man, though. Mint interviews him in hospital (though he doesn’t get much out of him) and he hasn’t got long left.

But then Sir Brodie’s people turn up, and whisk him off to a private hospital where Team Pirie can’t reach him. Just in case he doesn’t die soon enough (we wouldn’t put it past Sir Brodie to have sent him to a Dignitas facility in Switzerland…)

Mannion is one of those reliable, jobbing character actor who’s been popping up in popular dramas for over 30 years with four different roles in Taggart (1988-2008), three different roles in The Bill (1993-2007) and three different roles in Doctors (2005-2011).

But you’re most likely to remember him from Emmerdale, where he played the shady, arrogant love-cheat Steve Harland for 80 episodes from 2012 to 2013.

More recently, he played neurosurgeon Sid Watkins in the miniseries Senna (2024).

Sarah Naudi plays Camilleri

Camilleri is the Italian cop who bonds with Karen because she basically seems to be an Mediterranean version of Karen – frustrated with her male bosses, who can’t see what an asset she is.

Sarah Naudi is a Maltese actor, who has also appeared in The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which Channel 5 films on Gozo, an island that’s part of the Maltese archipelago.

She’s also appeared in Litvinenko (2022) – the dramatisation on the poisoning of the Russian dissident – where she played Dr Justine Adams. Another appearance was in Apple+’s superb sci-fi series Foundation, as Maiden Zephyr, a representation of an aspect of the Triple Goddess (the others being Crone Zephyr and Mother Zephyr).

Raffaello Degruttola appears as Barbieri

Barbieri is the Italian cop who at first thinks that Mint and Isla are a bit of a joke (“They sent you two – they can’t be taking this seriously”) but soon begins to respect them, and even turn a strategic blind eye for them.

A London-born actor of Italian descent and partly raised in New York, Degruttola has had guest roles in such Brit shows as The Bill (1989), Press Gang (1990), The Borgias (2012), Law and Order: UK (2014), Ted Lasso (2021) and Father Brown (2022) where he played l’Ispettore Mario Angelini in one of the series’ infamous Flambeau episodes.

Carlotta Morelli as Renata Rossi

Renata Rossi (who actually appeared briefly in the previous episode, but has more more action this time) is Gabriel’s girlfriend. It’s her apartment he takes refuge in when he first arrives in Malta. And she lies to the police when they knock on the door and ask whether he’s there.

Now, the thing you need to know about Renata Rossi is not that she appeared as Rome Intelligence Officer in Disney+’s Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes (2025). Or that she appeared in two episodes Channel 5’s lurid Autopsy: The Last Hours of… (the one on Buddy Holly, and the one on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who she played, both 2020).

No the thing you really need to know about Carlotta Morelli is that she played Melania Trump / Melania Bot on HBO’s The Tracey Ullman Show (2018) and Tracey Breaks The News (2017-2018).

Read more: The complete overview of Karen Pirie series 2

Full cast and characters for Karen Pirie series 2, episode 3

Lauren Lyle stars as DI Karen Pirie
Chris Jenks co-stars as DC Jason Murray
Zach Wyatt is back as DS Phil Parhatka
Saskia Ashdown plays DC Isla Stark
Emer Kenny features as River Wilde
Rakhee Thakrar retuns as Bel Richmond
Conor Berry appears as Andy Kerr Jnr
James Cosmo is Brodie Grant Snr
Frances Tomelty plays Mary Grant Snr
Julia Brown guest stars as Catriona Grant
Sarah Naudi appears as Camilleri
John Michie plays Fergus Sinclair Snr
Joanna Harte is Taylor Forbes
Jack Stewart appears as Fergus Sinclair Jnr
Jamie Michie takes the part of Brodie Grant Jnr
Raffaello Degruttola plays Barbieri
Tom Mannion in the role of Andy Kerr Snr/Matthias Johnson
Tommaso Basili is Gabriel/Adam Snr
Carlotta Morelli plays Renata Rossi
Jordan Mifsud cameos as Luca
Axel B Steinmueller appears as Weber
Edward De Gaetano portrays Spiteri
Gillian Apter is Susan Snr
Craig McGinlay finally gets something to do as Glen Gibson
Andrei Claude appears briefly as Alessandro
Madeleine Worrall appears as Mary Grant Jnr
Stuart Campbell plays Kevin Campbell
Dominic Watters is Airfield Security Guard
Alex & Andrew Gilmour share duties as Adam Grant

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