DI Ray full cast list: Who stars alongside Parminder…

DI Ray full cast list: Who stars alongside Parminder Nagra in new ITV drama?

DI Ray is the brand new crime drama coming to ITV. Written by Line of Duty actress and screenwriter Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio the four-part thriller makes its debut on Monday, May 2.

The new series has a star-studded cast list, including Bend it Like Beckham and ER's Parminder Nagra, Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan, Jamie Bamber – known for Battlestar Galactica and Law and Order UK – and Maanuv Thiara, known for Landscapers. It also stars Welsh-born Coronation Street star, Ian Puleston-Davies who played Owen Armstrong in the soap and recently starred in Channel 5's The Teacher with Sheridan Smith.

Airing over four consecutive nights on ITV, the new thriller follows DI Rachita Ray, played by Parminder Nagra, a police officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.

The official synopsis reads: "Rachita (Nagra) achieves the promotion she's been waiting for when she's asked to join a homicide investigation. However, on her first day, she's told the murder to which she's been assigned is a 'Culturally Specific Homicide.' Rachita's heart sinks – she suspects she's a 'token appointment', chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability.

"Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rachita sticks to the case, determined to both find the killer and call out the obvious biases her colleagues are bringing to the investigation. And it's far from easy. The case isn't a run-of-the-mill murder; it involves delving deep into the dangerous world of organised crime."