Ordinary Lies series 2: Meet the brand new cast and characters with a fresh set of secrets
ORDINARY LIES came back last night with a brand new series – but fans were surprised to learn that the show has started afresh with an all-new cast.
Teaser: Ordinary Lies is BACK with a second series
The show was a surprise hit for the BBC when it aired in 2015.
The first series followed the staff of JS Motors who had their lives torn apart by a string of dark secrets.
Last night the show returned with a new workplace and a brand new cast of characters.
Fans were gripped by a “fantastic” first episode, now set in a sports sales firm called Coopers.
The first instalment followed Joe Brierly (Con O’Neill), an ex-alcoholic who uncovered a dark secret when he tried to catch his wife (Jill Halfpenny) cheating.
Joining them for series 2 is ex-soapstars Matt Di Angelo and Angela Griffin, comedian Griff Rhys Jones and Welsh actress Elen Rhys.
Fresh Meat's Kimberly Nixon and former popstar Noel Sullivan also appear in the new run of episodes, joined by Rebekah Staton from Raised by Wolves and Game Of Thrones' Joel Fry.
Matt Di Angelo as Fletch
Matt plays a warehouse picker whose marriage hits a rocky patch when he reunites with his long-lost father Patrick.
“Fletch is an ordinary guy who has a very normal job in a warehouse – there’s a monotonous routine to his life,” Matt explained.
“He has never known who his father is having always been told he’s a musician somewhere. He got married very young and sticking to his routine of life has brought him into a rut.”
Griff Rhys Jones as Patrick
Griff plays Fletch’s estranged father Patrick who mysteriously comes back into his sons life.
The Welsh comedian and actor said: “He’s a successful man, although we don’t know what he does. He lives in a house, which Fletch comes to see him at, but sees Patrick with his wife and two daughters, one of whom is pregnant.
“We don’t really know too much about him other than the fact he knew Fletch’s mother.”
Elen Rhys as Caz
Elen plays Fletch’s wife, who finds her marriage in trouble when Patrick comes back into his life.
The Welsh actress is best known for her roles in Silent Witness and Doctors.
Con O’Neill as Joe Brierly
Con plays Joe Brierly, the warehouse’s head of sales.
In the thrilling first episode, Con set up CCTV cameras around his house after he suspected that his wife Belinda was having an affair.
Both Con and viewers were shocked to discover that Belinda was in fact a paedophile hunter and had been pretending to be a young girl to seduce a sick pervert.
Jill Halfpenny as Belinda Brierly
Soapstar Jill plays Joe’s wife and the mother of their two children.
After finding out the truth behind Belinda's suspicious behaviour, viewers also learned the heartbreaking reason why she was ensnaring paedophiles – to get vengeance for her daughter, who had been attacked earlier in life.
Angela Griffin as Jenna
The former Coronation Street and Emmerdale star plays Jenna, the general manager of the warehouse.
“Jenna is a meticulous, perfect human being… or so she would have the world believe. She comes across as very well educated, well dressed, has a perfect life, is a strong woman, has a perfect husband, a car and the perfect apartment,” Angela said.
"She’s worked incredibly hard to get to where she is in life, running Cooper’s with Joe and Toke underneath her. She enjoys her life, or so she thinks… or so the world thinks, but actually underneath she has a lot of turmoil going on. Her life isn’t as perfect as she’d have everyone believe and that comes out throughout the series.”
Kimberly Nixon as Holly Price
Kimberly, best known as Josie in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat, plays Jenna’s PA Holly. She holds her boss up on a pedestal and is blissfully unaware of her dark secret.
Noel Sullivan as Neil
Former Hear’Say singer and West End star Noel joins the cast in his first ever TV role as Holly's boyfriend Neil.
“Neil is a forklift truck driver and he’s in a relationship with Holly. He’s a normal lad from the Valleys in Wales,” he explained.
“He’s the kind of guy who just wants a couple of pints after work, a game of footy and that’s about as exciting as his life gets. He’s a pretty mundane character.”
Joel Fry as Billy ‘Toke’ Tyler
Joel plays Toke, a warehouse manager who fights crime at night.
“Unbeknownst to his colleagues and girlfriend, he has an alter ego as a crime-fighting superhero,” Joel said.
“He does this because of things that have happened in his past, he wants to stop people doing stupid things and getting hurt. Whilst he’s doing that, he meets a girl which sets something off in his head. He starts trying to help her which isn’t easy as she’s a bit of a mess and as a result things get complicated."
Ordinary Lies continues Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One.