The BBC have announced that Dougray Scott is to take a lead role in their upcoming adaptation of Crookhaven.
The family drama series, based on the books by J.J. Arcanjo, tells the story of a school for crooks where students learn how to hone their skills in order to do good.
Dougray Scott (Vigil) is playing Caspian Lockett, the headmaster and leader of Crookhaven. Claire Forlani (Domina) also stars as the mysterious Carmen, Caspian’s wife, with Keith Allen (Marcella) and Naomi Wirthner (Slow Horses) in the cast too.
Dougray Scott said:
“I am thrilled to get started on this fantastic family drama. I am really looking forward to working with all of the extremely talented people on this production and bringing this role to life.”
Centred around pickpocketing genius Gabriel and his archrival, headmaster’s daughter Penelope, the series follows a group of eight very different, young international students as they compete for the coveted Crooked Cup.
Full of wit, surprise and betrayal, the inter-school rivalry between the ‘Merits’, those selected for their deceptive talents, and the ‘Legacies’, students who come from generations of master thieves, comes to the fore as they go head to head in the competition for the infamous Crooked Cup – all while battling a terrifying enemy – The Nameless.
Lucas Leach (FBI International) plays Gabriel Avery, while Carmel Laniado (The Witcher) is Penelope.
The other Crooklings are played by Amari Bacchus (Adolescence), Leila Khan (Death in Paradise), Sani Thabo (Everything Now), Tipper Seifert-Cleveland (Cruella), Aerona Shi (Goldie’s Oldies), Charlie Mann (Virdee) and Rowan McIntosh (The Chelsea Detective).
Also starring are Genesis Lynea (Doctor Who), Alex Mugnaioni (Mr Sloane) and Imran Yusuf (The Missing).
Screenwriter Justin Young says:
“From the moment my daughters and I read the first Crookhaven book, I knew it had the potential to be a thrilling, timeless series for the whole family. Bringing the Crookhaven world to life has been a glorious adventure, and it’s both an honour and a thrill to be working with such an extraordinarily talented cast and crew — truly a dream mix of industry legends and dazzling new faces.”
The Crookhaven book series currently runs to four volumes, with a fifth out in August 2025, so if the show takes off there’s plenty of material to draw on.
Crookhaven is filming now in Northern Ireland and comes from BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions. The eight-part series is due to land on BBC iPlayer in early 2026.