Irish actor Owen McDonnell to star opposite Olivia Colman in BBC's Great Expectations

Earlier this month, Oscar-winner Olivia Colman was announced as the lead in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations for the BBC.

The rest of the cast has now been announced, including Irish actor Owen McDonnell (Single-Handed). The Galway native played the role of Sandra Oh's husband, Niko Polastri, in Killing Eve.

He also made a guest appearance in British-French crime drama series Death In Paradise, created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller, Krish Marshall, Ardal O'Hanlon, and Ralf Little.

The IFTA nominated talent will play Pip's brother-in-law, the blacksmith Joe, opposite Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead as the famous orphan.

Coleman will play the wealthy spinster, Miss Havisham.

The six-part mini-series has been adapted for the screen by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. It will be the second Dickens adaptation penned by the showrunner, following the hit limited series A Christmas Carol.

The film will also be produced by the Christmas Carol team – including Knight, actor Tom Hardy and Sir Ridley Scott.

🚨 Casting's been announced for Steven Knight’s adaptation of Great Expectations for the @BBC and we NEED to talk about how brilliant the line-up is.
More here ➡️ https://t.co/bV3LPFOFdx pic.twitter.com/94gELg2mcT

— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) February 17, 2022

Other performances include Ashley Thomas (Them), Johnny Harris (Jawbone), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Tourist), Hayley Squires (Adult Material), Trystan Gravelle (A Discovery of Witches) and Matt Berry (Toast of London).

Great Expectations becomes the second in a string of Dickens novels that have been commissioned by the BBC and FX Productions.