Let’s call it: Netflix’s Missing You is the first big TV phenomenon of 2025.
Arriving on New Year’s Day, Missing You is the latest collaboration from Netflix and author Harlan Coben, following on from the success of The Stranger, Stay Close and last year’s hit show Fool Me Once.
Like its predecessors, the easy-viewing drama tells the story of a mystery that unfolds over the course of the season, with plenty of unexpected twists thrown in for good measure.
And as has been the case with all of Harlan Coben’s dramas, the show features an ensemble cast of predominantly British actors, many of whom are being introduced to an international audience for the first time thanks to the global platform that Netflix provides.
If you thought you spotted a familiar face or two in the cast, allow us to bring you up to speed with the stars of Missing You and their past credits…
Richard Armitage
Well, it wouldn’t be a Harlan Coben drama without Richard Armitage, right? The British actor previously played main characters in Stay Close, Fool Me Once and The Stranger, but you may have also seen him in another divisive Netflix project, the erotic thriller Obsession.
Richard’s other recent credits have included the British thriller Red Eye and the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft and Castlevania.
You may have also seen him in the hit British sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley or the drama Hannibal, for which he was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award in 2016.
Rosalind Eleazar
If you recognise Rosalind Eleazar’s face already, chances are you remember her for her portrayal of Louisa Guy in the spy thriller Slow Horses, but she’s also recently appeared in the US drama Class Of ’09.
Rosalind’s additional work includes the 2017 TV adaptation of Howards End, the period piece Harlots and the Channel 4 drama National Treasure.
Jessica Plummer
Jessica Plummer will be a familiar face to soap fans thanks to her portrayal of Chantelle Atkins in EastEnders, after which she went on to join the cast of I’m A Celebrity during its short-lived stint in that Welsh castle.
She was later nominated for a TV Bafta thanks to her performance in The Girl Before, and was previously a part of the British girl group Neon Jungle, whose hits Braveheart and Welcome To The Jungle made the top 10 back in 2014.
Ashley Walters
Ashley Walters played the lead in the British drama Top Boy, which was revived by Netflix in 2019 after two seasons on Channel 4.
You may have also seen him in the police dramas Cuffs, Bulletproof, Safe House and In The Dark, or the Doctor Who episode Journey To The Centre Of The Tardis.
Before venturing into acting, Ashley was a member of the British rap group So Solid Crew, later releasing a string of solo albums under the moniker Asher D.
Lenny Henry
Primarily known for his work as a stand-up comic, sketch comedian and co-founder of the BBC charity Comic Relief, Sir Lenny Henry has turned his attention to more dramatic acting in recent years.
This has included the US fantasy dramas The Sandman and The Witcher, the British crime series Broadchurch and stage productions of Fences, Educating Rita and William Shakespeare’s Othello.
At the end of last year, he also lent his voice to a character in the Wallace & Gromit movie Vengeance Most Fowl.
Steve Pemberton
British comedy fans will know Steve Pemberton for his surreal works in the likes of Psychoville, Inside No. 9 and, of course, The League Of Gentlemen.
His on-screen work has also included the ITV sitcom Benidorm, the police dramas Whitechapel and Happy Valley, two episodes of Doctor Who, the fantasy series Good Omens and the 17th series of Taskmaster.
More recently than all of that, he also played Robbie Williams’ dad Peter Conway in the musical biopic Better Man.
Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Faulkner got her start in the acting world in the early 1990s, playing Louise Hope in Brookside and Victoria Merrick in Holby City, with her more recent roles including Fi Browning and EastEnders and Alex Owen in Death In Paradise.
As well as her acting career, Lisa is also a presenter, co-hosting This Morning in 2015, and presenting the food show What’s Cooking?.
In 2010, she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and won the series, later marrying judge John Torode, with whom she now presents the ITV magazine show John And Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
Marc Warren
Marc’s TV work has included the 1999 adaptation of Oliver Twist, police drama The Vice, the Boy George biopic Worried About The Boy (in which he played singer and club promoter Steve Strange) and the TV adaptation of Guy Ritchie’s Snatch.
More recently, he’s appeared in the TV sitcom Big Boys and the crime series Van Der Walk and The Red King.
Samantha Spiro
Impressively, Samantha Spiro has played the late Barbara Windsor on three different occasions, including a stage play and two different TV dramas.
After playing Melessa Tarly in Game Of Thrones, she was then cast in Netflix’s Sex Education as Connor Swindell’s on-screen mum, Maureen Groff.
She also has two Oliviers two her name, for her performances in the musicals Merrily We Roll Along and Hello, Dolly!.
Mary Malone
Mary’s performance as Aqua in Missing You is one of her biggest roles to date, but you may still have seen her in action in the past few years.
In 2023, she appeared alongside Ncuti Gatwa in the Doctor Who episode The Church On Ruby Road, and has also had roles in Vera, Chivalry and The Prince.
James Nesbitt
Since his breakthrough moment in Cold Feet in the mid-90s, James Nesbitt’s acting work has appeared in everything from Murphy’s Law, Bloody Sunday and Jekyll (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007) to The Missing, Line Of Duty and Stay Close.
For us, though, we’ll also remember him for pretending to shout at that hairdresser in an iconic Yellow Pages ad from back in the day.
Matt Willis
You may know Matt Willis best as the bassist and singer in Busted (and, indeed, the short-lived supergroup McBusted), but he’s actually been steadily building up an acting career in the last decade.
After short stints in EastEnders and Birds Of A Feather, Matt appeared in stage productions of A Christmas Carol, Little Shop Of Horrors, Wicked, Waitress and, naturally, 2:22 A Ghost Story.
Last year, he and wife Emma Willis also fronted the inaugural series of Love Is Blind UK, which will return to our screens later this year.
Rudi Dharmalingam
Fans of the legal drama The Split will remember Rudi’s performance as James Cutler, but you might also recall seeing him in the military series Our Girl, Sky’s The Lazarus Project or the 2023 gritty reimagining of Great Expectations.
Last year, Rudi also bagged his biggest film role to date in Amazon’s Role Play.
GK Barry
It may have only been a small role, but yes that was GK Barry you spotted making her acting debut in Missing You.
Primarily known for her work on TikTok, the internet personality also has a hugely successful podcast, Saving Grace, which led to her signing up for last year’s series of I’m A Celebrity, finishing in fifth place overall.