Murder Before Evensong is a heavenly cosy crime drama with a cast jam-packed with famous faces that should set bells – of the church variety – ringing in your mind. 

Set in 1989, the cosy crime series starts with a priest discovering a body in his church. But this new Acorn/Channel 5 cosy crime show is no mere whodunnit, and Canon Daniel Clement is a bit different to Father Brown.

He’s not an amateur sleuth who irritates the local cops. He works with them, because his central, trusted role in the local community makes him a useful asset. He’s also a very good listener – an often under-appreciated skill.

As the aftermath of murder threatens to expose many local dark secrets, Daniel is at the eye of the storm. So who plays Canon Daniel Clement in the cast of Murder Before Evensong, and who joins him in the cast? Read on to find out.

You’re going to recognise faces from a whole host of top British dramas in the Murder Before Evensong cast. Stars from the likes of Harry Potter, EastEnders, The Crown and New Tricks play the eccentric bunch of locals in Champton village.

Murder Before Evensong cast: Matthew Lewis leads as Canon Daniel Clement

Canon Daniel Clement is the rector at St Mary’s church in the quaint (fictional) village of Champton. Although young, he’s central to the community, though some of his more modern ideas ruffle some parishioners’ feathers.

He lives in the rectory with his mother Audrey. His brother, Theo, is an actor on tour. When the murder occurs, Daniel becomes a handy ear-t0-the-ground contact for detective Neil Vanloo.

Matthew Lewis stars as Daniel. Harry Potter fans will know the actor as long-suffering Neville Longbottom, a role he played in all eight of the movies. But he’s changed quite a bit since then!

Yorkshire-born Matthew Lewis, 36, has had a very successful and varied career on British TV since then. You may have seen him playing Jamie in the first season of The Syndicate in 2012, or murder suspect Sean in season 2 of Happy Valley in 2016. Ripper Street will recognise him as Sergeant Drummond in the final two seasons of the crime drama.

The actor also played wealthy landowner Hugh Hulton in the first two seasons of Channel 5‘s All Creatures Great and Small. Most recently, he played Brett, Romesh Ranganathan’s cocksure love rival, in season two of the BBC sitcom Avoidance.

Amanda Redman portrays Daniel’s mum Audrey Clement

Audrey is Daniel’s overbearing mother, who lives in the Rectory with Daniel and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. She moved in after the death of Daniel’s in-debt dad forced her to sell the family home. She’s a force to be reckoned with – when she hasn’t got her mouth full of cake!

Audrey is a very different role for actress Amanda Redman. In fact, we wouldn’t blame you for not recognising her! Audrey is played by the one-time star of New Tricks. But she seems to be relishing the chance to embody a dowdy matriarch.

Sussex-born Amanda Redman, 68, played Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman for 10 seasons of New Tricks.

She’s also known for portraying ex-pat doctor Lydia Fonseca in The Good Karma Hospital (2017-2022), and lottery-winning Alison Braithwaite in At Home with the Braithwaites (2000-2003). In 20o8’s Little Dorrit, she was Mrs Merdle.

The actress’ film roles have included For Queen and Country, Sexy Beast, Mike Bassett: England Manager, and Scoop. The latter was one of two recent films about the infamous “I don’t sweat” Prince Andrew TV interview.

Amit Shah plays DS Neil Vanloo

DS Neil Vinloo is a local detective sergeant who enlists Daniel’s help while investigating the murder. Unlike most TV cops who rail against amateur sleuths gatecrashing their investigations, Vinloo appreciates the people skills Daniel brings on board.

Amit Shah has appeared in some of the most talked-about British dramas of the past decade. He played dodgy pharmacist Faisal Bhatti in season three of Happy Valley in 2022, as well as Jas Singh, the husband of one of the wrongly accused Post Office workers in Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

His breakthrough role came in the 2014 film The Hundred-Foot Journey, starring alongside Helen Mirren in the tale of two warring restaurants in France.

He’s also appeared in multiple films, includingBrit horror Howl, Johnny English Strikes Again, and Liam Neeson’s Ordinary Love.

On TV, he’s also popped up in Silent Witness, Midsomer Murders, Doctor Who, His Dark Materials, and Death In Paradise during the Ralf Little years.

Adam James appears as Lord Bernard De Floures

Lord Bernard de Floures owns the local stately home, Champton House, which is turning into a money pit. He’s also a patron of Daniel’s church, and the father of Honor and the wayward Alexander.

Like Amit Shah, Adam James appeared in Johnny English Strikes Again in 2018), but we’d be surprised if that’s where you recognise him from.

More likely you saw him in Vigil series 1 in 2021. He played Lieutenant Commander Mark Prentice, Executive Officer of titular nuclear submarine.

He’s also known for playing Arabella’s literary agent Julian in I May Destroy You, dodgy art dealer Jack Turner in season one of Italy-set period drama Hotel Portofino, and Patrick Green QC, a key barrister in Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

He also had a recurring role recently in Apple+’s The Buccaneers as Colonel Tracy St George. London-born Adam famously played the lying, cheating Neil in Doctor Foster. Most recently, he’s appeared in The Couple Next Door, Dalgliesh, and The Day of the Jackal. Adam also had a role in the film sensation that was Wicked. He played Galinda’s Popsicle.

Tamzin Outhwaite portrays Stella Harper in the Murder Before Evensong cast

Stella is one of Daniel’s more irksome parishioners. She’s in charge of the flower arrangements in the church and can be a right pain at parish council meetings.

Tamzin Outhwaite is, of course, most famous for her two stints as Mel in EastEnders. She played the role on and off between 1998 and 2019. Mel’s highlights included marrying Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), marrying Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), a one-night stand with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and being kidnapped by ex-lover Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass). She was killed by a lorry.

But there’s a lot more to Tamzin Outhwaite than her soap role. Notably, she took over from Amanda Redman – her Murder Before Evensong co-star – for the final three of seasons on New Tricks between 2013 and 2015.

Other major roles include the hotel manager Rebecca Mitchell in the first two seasons of Hotel Babylon (2006-2007), and Sgt Jo McDonagh in the crime series Red Cap (2003-2004). More recently, she starred in the Channel 5 2024 thriller The Wives.

The Londoner, 54, has also appeared in Silent Witness, Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders, and Death In Paradise, among many others.

Nina Toussaint-White appears as Jane Thwaite

Jane Thwaite is the young church organist at St Mary’s. She is the wife of Ned Thwaite, photographer for the local paper. She seems to be keeping something from him.

Another former EastEnder, Nina Toussaint-White appeared as nurse Syd Chambers on the cockney soap for a large chunk of 2009.

More recently she played the wife of Reverend Alan Calder in series eight of Shetland in 2023. She also portrayed defence solicitor Claudia Wood in the BBC’s anthology crime series Showtrial in 2024, and appeared alongside Gerard Butler in the 2013 film Kandahar.

Doctor Who fans will probably remember her fondly for her earlier incarnation of River Song (later played by Alex Kingston) in the bonkers episode Let’s Kill Hitler (2011).

Marion Bailey plays Kath Sharman

Marion is one of the village’s elder residents. She lives with her sister, Dora and is on the parish council. She has a secret that recent crimes in the village may bring to light.

Marion Bradley is a phenomenally successful character actress. She’s the wife of acclaimed British film director Mike Leigh and has appeared in many of his films. These include Meantime (1983), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Mr Turner (2014) and Peterloo (2018).

For TV fans, she’s probably best known for her award-winning stint playing the Queen Mother in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix‘s The Crown (2019-2020).

She’s been on our screens for decades, and has appeared in TV series including Casualty, Boon, The Bill, New Tricks, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Being Human, and Endeavour.

Actress Amanda Hadingue appears as Dora Sharman

Terminally ill Dora lives with sister Kath in their village cottage. She’s refusing further treatment and wants to make the most of the time she has left.

If you saw the bizarre Netflix fantasy series Kaos in 2024 then you’ll have seen Amanda Hadingue in by far her biggest role to date. She played the Amazon Myrina, who gave birth to a boy, Caeneus, and gave him away.

Previous to that she had small roles in Jonathan Creek, Holby City, Doctors, The Alienist, and Good Omens.

Murder Before Evensong cast: Meghan Treadway plays Honor De Floures

Honor De Floures is the daughter of Bernard De Floures. She’s exactly what you’d expect from the daughter of landed gentry, unlike rebellious brother Alex.

Honor is the biggest role for Meghan Treadway yet. You may have seen her in the small role of Kate in the popular Netflix series One Day (2024), based on the book by David Nicholls. She also had a recurring, but minor role in Flack, the British PR agency-based sitcom starring Anna Paquin as Robyn. She played one of Robyn’s celebrity clients.

Francis Magee is Edgy

Dublin-born Francis Magee, 66, plays Edgy in the cast of Murder Before Evensong. And that’s his name, not a description of his performance!

Edgy is the groundsman (and general dogsbody) at Champton House, working for Bernard, Lord de Floures, though he comes across more like a poacher. He likes to donate some of his “bounty” to Canon Daniel to turn into pies.

Magee is one of those never-out-of-work character actors who appears in a vast range of shows and films. No exaggeration – he has just shy of 150 different credits, so you must recognise him from something.

Game of Thrones, perhaps? He played Yoren in the first two seasons (2011-2012). He died when an arrow pierced his neck.

Or perhaps you know him from EastEnders? He played Liam Tyler between 1993 and 1995. Liam was the abusive first husband of Debbie Tyler (Nicola Duffett). Liam made life hell for her and new boyfriend Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).

Magee was also consultant Mr Leslie McManus in all three seasons of Channel 4’s medical comedy drama No Angels. He went on to play villainous caretaker Victor Rodenmaar Jr in 144 episodes of Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis (2011-2013).

More recently, he played Magnus in the highly stylised martial arts sci-fi series Into The Badlands (2019), and the heinous Brendan Kinsella in the Irish crime drama Kin (2022-2023).

Add in guest appearances in shows like Outlander, Black Mirror, The Musketeers, and The Witcher, plus films such as Layer Cake, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and that is quite a career.

Who else appears in Murder Before Evensong?

Ben Batt plays the rather creepy and controlling photographer Ned Thwaite. The actor is famous for playing DC Kevin Lumb in Scott & Bailey, as well as Agrippa in Domina, Willmus Crabtree in Jamestown, and Blue in Our Girl. More recently, he’s portrayed Pat Miller in Toxic Town.

Those of you who watched the underrated Maxine Peake thriller Rules of the Game in 2022 will remember him as key character Owen Jenkins.

Sam Baker Jones appears as Edgy’s grandson and tractor-driving Nathan. He’s best known for playing DC Liam Payne in the cast of DI Ray.

Full Murder Before Evensong cast list:

Matthew Lewis stars as Canon Daniel Clement.

Amanda Redman costars as Audrey Clement.

Amit Shah plays DS Neil Vanloo.

Adam James appears as Bernard, Lord de Floures.

Tamzin Outhwaite is Stella Harper.

Marion Bailey guest stars as Kath Sharman.

Amanda Hadingue appears as Dora Sharman.

Meghan Treadway plays Honor de Floures.

Francis Magee in the role of Edgy.

Nina Toussaint-White plays Jane Thwaite.

Ben Batt is Ned Thwaite.

Sam Baker Jones appears as Nathan.

Newcomer Alexander Delamain portrays Alex de Floures.

Doctors’ Emma Beattie stars as Margaret Porteous.

A Discovery of Witches’ David Newman plays Harry Cobbe.

Emmerdale’s Thea Beyleveld appears as Katrina Cobbe.

Robin Hood’s Adam Smethurst doesn’t last long as Anthony Bowness.

Black Books’ Paul Beech is Ernie Cobbe.

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Murder Before Evensong premieres on Acorn on Monday, September 29, 2025 and on Channel 5 from Tuesday, October 07.