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Remote holiday parks in the middle of Scotland: the perfect place for a relaxing break? Or the perfect place for a gruesome murder?
Spoiler alert: in Channel 4’s new thriller, it’s the latter. Set to launch on our screens this weekend and adapted from the hit novel by Sarah Moss, it puts a group of friends and strangers into one claustrophobic location, amps up the tension and lets things simmer.
By the end of one climactic day, the holiday camp is in flames and police are trying to suss out who’s responsible. It’s set to be a nail-biting watch, but who’s in the cast? We unpack for you.
David Campbell, played by Dougray Scott
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A retired GP, whose wife Annie is mentally unwell. He’s been coming to Summerwater for decades, but guilt from a past affair is weighing him down and he’s struggling to cope with Annie’s wants and needs.
Scott is a Scottish actor who was born and raised in Glenrothes, Fife. Over the years, he’s appeared in films like Mission: Impossible 2 in 2000, Hitman in 2007 and My Week with Marilyn in 2011. He won an Emmy and Bafta in 2021 for his work in the Scottish series Crime.
Annie Campbell, played by Shirley Henderson
David’s wife. Like him, she’s a long time visitor to Summerwater, but a recent medical diagnosis means she’s much frailer than she used to be.
Henderson is probably best known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter series; in real life, she’s a Scottish actor who has appeared in dozens of famous films over the last few decades. Which ones? Oh, Trainspotting in 1996, where she played Gail, the Bridget Jones films, where she played Jude and the BBC drama Happy Valley, where she played Frances Dummond.
Justine Tindall, played by Valene Kane
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A mother of two who is depressed and checked out of her marriage. Struggling to find meaning in life, Justine develops an intense resentment towards newcomer Maya Cho when she is picked for promotion instead – with devastating consequences.
Kane is a Northern Irish actor, who had her breakthrough playing Rose Stagg in the BBC 2 series The Fall. Since then, she’s appeared in Blue Lights, Sky series Gangs of London, and the Star Wars film Rogue One.
Alina Piotrowska, played by Anna Próchniak
A passionate photographer who is having to make ends meet, working as a waitress at the Summerwater hotel. As a loving mother to Violeta, and wife to Marijonas, she’s hoping the area can provide a fresh start – but the hostility from the longterm residents means that might not be possible. Plus, there’s also her ongoing struggle with her mother in law Rasa.
Próchniak is a Polish actor. She initially trained as a dancer, before switching to acting; her biggest English-language role was playing Gita in last year’s Sky adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Marjionas Zaliskevicius, played by Arnas Fedaravičius
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Alina’s husband. He came to Scotland to work as a PT, but after he ran into some trouble in Glasgow, he moved the family to Summerwater. In addition to Alina butting heads with his mother, he lets off steam with loud parties that raise tensions with the residents.
Fedaravičius is a Lithuanian actor. Recognise him? That might be because he played hotel manager Valentin in season three of The White Lotus.
Steve Tindall, played by Daniel Rigby
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Steve is Justine’s husband. His career has struggled, but he’s a loving dad to their two children Lola and Jack. He’s also struggling to make things work with Justine: he’s desperate for connection, she’s constantly rebuffing him.
Tindall is an English actor and comedian. He’ll be playing Vernon Dursley in the new HBO Harry Potter series, and previously won a Bafta for playing Eric Morecambe in the 2011 film Eric and Ernie.
Millie Nkene, played by Shereen Cutkelvin
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A twenty-something-year-old who’s come to her boyfriend’s holiday home in Summerwater for a romantic break. The pair are planning to move from Glasgow to Barra, but Millie is uncertain about the move – and if she loves boyfriend Josh enough to spend the rest of her life with him.
Cutkelvin is a presenter, singer and actor. She broke through when she was announced as the lineup for girl group Neon Jungle; after that she formed the Cutkelvins with her brothers, and competed in The X Factor. Since 2020, she’s co-hosted BBC Introducing on BBC Radio Scotland, and the early breakfast show for BBC Radio 1.
Josh Gilmour, played by Anders Hayward
Millie’s boyfriend. He loves her and wants to build a life with her; she might not love him back quite as much.
Hayward, who plays him, is an English model who was born in Kent in 1994 – and who has walked in shows for Louis Vuitton, Dior and Prada.
Ian Henderson, played by Jamie Sives
Father to Becky and Alex, and husband to Rachel. Ian is a loving father, but has made some bad financial decisions that have left the family teetering on the brink of ruin. Now, he’s struggling with the idea that his children have lost respect for him, and the distrust his secret investing has caused Rachel.
Sives, who plays him, is also Scottish. Alongside Mark Bonnar, he studied at Leith Academy, and worked as a scaffolder, postman and club doorman before turning to acting. He broke through in the 2002 film Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, and recently played James Hardy in the 2025 Netflix series Dept. Q.
Rachel Henderson, played by Shauna Macdonald
Ian’s wife. She’s trying to keep the family together, but Alex is getting into fights at school, and her attempts to heal things have made Becky feel invisible.
Macdonald is a Scottish actor. She was born in Malaysia and raised in Edinburgh; she trained at drama school alongside James McAvoy and made her debut aged 17, opposite Billy Connolly, in 1999 show The Debt Collector. From there, she broke through playing Sam Buxton in Spooks, and then played Sarah Carter in 2005 horror film The Descent. Since then, she’s also appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Cry.
Gavin, played by James Harkness
An ex-soldier whose PTSD means he has left his young family to live on the edge of the woods in Summerwater.
Harkness is a Scottish actor who comes from Glasgow. He’s best known for playing Craig Myers in the BBC’s 2019 drama The Victim, but has also appeared as James in BBC drama The Nest, and this year’s true crime show The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Summerwater airs on Channel 4 from November 16
