Coldwater cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the latest ITV thriller flick

ITV’s new thriller Coldwater premiered on September 14, 2025, and it’s already making waves across the industry. The headline grabber? Andrew Lincoln’s highly anticipated return, supported by an impressive ensemble cast. Set against the brooding backdrop of the Scottish countryside, the series unravels a world where dark conspiracies lurk beneath the surface of seemingly quiet landscapes.

The characters work their way through these six episodes, while viewers are left with more questions than answers by the end.

As far as the plot is concerned, we have John at the center of it all. He gets into a nasty business in London, panics, grabs his family, and brings them all the way up to Coldwater, a Scottish village that reeks of twisted ruses. Here, John gets knee-deep in a mess thanks to some neighbors who are pulling all the strings while maintaining a charming face.

So if you want to know who is running the show, it is important to get introduced to the faces behind it all. Here is a rundown of the main cast of Coldwater to get you started.

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Coldwater cast and character guide

Andrew Lincoln as John

Andrew Lincoln is playing John, a shell-shocked stay-at-home dad reeling from an identity crisis after watching something awful go down at a London playground. He is rattled, trying to keep his act together, but he crumbles whenever anything gets heated. That’s why the whole family heads for Coldwater, hoping for some reset or clean slate.

Lincoln is famous for his role in The Walking Dead (Rick Grimes!), Love Actually, and even Teachers. In Coldwater, you can see the baggage weighing on him, like he is dragging around all his regrets and what-ifs, desperate for a do-over life never really offers.

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Indira Varma as Fiona

Indira Varma shows up as Fiona, John’s wife. She is the one keeping the family afloat financially. She is a pro chef and writes memoirs on the side. Even when they all end up in Scotland, her culinary ambitions are still running the show, but she has her guard up around a new crowd.

Varma is known for her role in Game of Thrones (Ellaria Sand) and Luther. She nails Fiona with this fierce, protective resilience.

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Ewen Bremner as Tommy

Ewen Bremner plays Tommy, John’s new neighbor. This guy is the unofficial mayor of Coldwater, always front and center. He struts around with big energy and confidence, but you get this itch that he is hiding something sketchy behind that friendly grin.

Bremner is known for his roles in Trainspotting, Wonder Woman, and T2: Trainspotting. He perfectly encapsulates the weird cocktail of charm and menace.

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Eve Myles as Rebecca

Eve Myles plays the role of Rebecca, Tommy’s wife. She is the local pastor who doesn’t even believe in God. She openly tells people she is an atheist, but somehow she enjoys her status as a valued community figure. She and Fiona hit it off, but Rebecca is loyal to Tommy. That loyalty is a huge deal once things start getting messy.

And if you’re wondering where you have seen Myles before, she appeared in Torchwood, Broadchurch, and the BAFTA-winning Keeping Faith.

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Other notable cast members include:

Lorn Macdonald as Angus. He is not the main guy, but he gets wrapped up in Coldwater’s madness like the rest of them.

Samuel Bottomley’s Cameron is doing his thing, while Lois Chimimba owns it as Detective Sergeant Malika. You’ll also spot Sanjeev Kohli and Lisa McGrillis coming in and out, stirring the pot, making sure this small town stays as tangled as possible.

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The story behind Coldwater

Now that you are introduced to the cast, here is what you need to know before binge-watching Coldwater. The series is one of those psychological thrillers that sneaks up on you, pressing all your paranoia buttons. It is mostly about suspicion ramping up, unearthing dirty secrets, and how putting your faith in the wrong people can blow up in your face.

Amidst all the chaos is John. He couldn’t handle a particular situation back in the city, so he packed up and brought the family off to this tiny Scottish village called Coldwater for a fresh start. Instead, their so-called peaceful life turns upside down once they get tangled up with their neighbors, especially Tommy.

On the surface, Tommy looks like everyone’s favorite neighbor. But beneath all that friendly chit-chat, he has traumatic childhood scars and a freakish knack for screwing with people’s minds. The whole town is already feeling sketchy, neighbors whispering, then suddenly John is getting blamed for things he didn’t do.

Everything boils over big time: trauma bubbles up, danger lurks around, and both past and present crash together in one nasty showdown. John is forced to go toe-to-toe with Tommy, and it gets ugly.

When it’s all over, the village isn’t the same. They are left picking through the wreckage, trying to figure out if survival, forgiveness, or just blind faith will be enough to carry them through.