ITV’s Holding is the brand new four-episode crime drama that’s bound to be your new obsession.
It is a dark, comedic whodunnit, adapted from TV host Graham Norton’s best-selling 2016 novel of the same name.
The murder mystery series boasts a star-studded cast, including the Game of Thrones actor who brought scheming Varys to life – Conleth Hill – who leads the cast as local police officer, Sergeant PJ Collins. There’s even an Oscar winner in the line-up.
PJ enjoys a mostly peaceful existence in the village of Duneen, a sleepy town in Ireland.
However, when human remains are discovered buried on a local farm, PJ is tasked with solving a serious crime, for the first time in his career – and finally, he’s forced to reconnect with a village he’s tried to ignore.
So, who else stars in Holding? Meet the whole cast here.
Who is in the cast of Holding?
Leading the cast is Conleth Hill, who is perhaps best known for his role as Varys in Game of Thrones.
The star, 58, is originally from Ballycastle in Northern Ireland and is also known as a stage actor – having won two Laurence Olivier Awards, as well as being nominated for two Tonys.
In addition to GoT, Hill has appeared in a range of TV shows, including Suits (2013), Dublin Murders (2019), Vienna Blood (2019) and Magpie Murders (2022). You may have also seen him in 2011 film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, also starring Emily Blunt.
Speaking to Radio Times about his role as Sergeant PJ Collins, Hill said: ‘I just love the ordinariness of the mundanity – of the non-achievement outsider aspect of him that doesn’t matter how long he’s here, [he’ll] always be an outsider.’
He also added that his character had ‘none of the clichés’ you’d expect from a police officer in a crime drama.
Joining Hill is Brenda Fricker, 77, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1989 film My Left Foot – becoming the first Irish actress to win an Oscar.
She’s been in loads: Home Alone, Home Alone 2, A Time To Kill, Angels In The Outfield, and even Casualty in the 1980s. In Holding, Brenda plays Lizzie Meany, a woman PJ is keeping a close eye on.
Siobhán McSweeney also stars as Bríd Riordan, a ‘vulnerable’ and ‘messy’ character and suspect in the crime – as she has a romantic connection to the victim.
Until now, Siobhán’s probably been best known for appearing in The Fall and for her hilarious turn as Sister Micheal in Derry Girls.
Peaky Blinders star Charlene McKenna appears, too. Her character, Evelyn Ross, is a suspect in PJ’s case – having previously been in love with the victim.
And Clinton Liberty, who you might recognise as Kieran from BBC Three’s lockdown-hit and Sally Rooney story Normal People, also appears alongside Hill as DI Linus Dunne.
Other stars include Helen Behan, Amy Conroy, Pauline McLynn and Sky Yang.
In addition to a well-known cast and a very famous author for its source material, the drama is also being directed by another big name: 57-year-old comedian Kathy Burke.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other press, she recalled almost turning down the project, saying: ‘Usually, I say no to telly directing.
‘I’m normally a theatre director, that’s what I love and what I’ve been doing mostly for 20 years. I’ve always said no to any TV projects coming in.’
‘But,’ she revealed, ‘I had listened to Graham read Holding during lockdown.’
By the end of the audiobook, Burke was a true fan.
Holding airs on Mondays at 9pm on ITV.
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