Skins and Game of Thrones favourite’s role in The Capture finally revealed – as creator teases season 3 role

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*Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Capture season 3, episode 1*

Were you left reeling after the first episode of The Capture’s third season? You’re not alone! The BBC thriller returned after nearly four years with a bang, featuring a major character’s death and an unexpected appearance by a familiar face from shows like Skins and Game of Thrones.

The episode began with Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) in a strong position: she’d been made acting head of Counter Terrorism and was on the verge of revealing a new technology that could finally stop the dangerous “Correction” program, which secretly alters videos.

By the end, Rachel’s world had completely crumbled. She lost her expected promotion, her friend and colleague Isaac Turner was murdered, and it turned out her new boss, Noah Pierson, was also the one responsible for the assassination.

Sharp-eyed viewers may have spotted another surprise: the security footage of Isaac’s murder, which seemed to be altered, didn’t show Noah as the shooter. Instead, it revealed another character – played by Joe Dempsie – as the one who pulled the trigger, someone we haven’t seen before.

News that Tom Dempsie would be in the latest season of The Capture came out in April 2025, but his role was a secret – and now we understand why!

Series creator and writer Ben Chanan recently shared his excitement about casting Joe Dempsie, calling it a “dream come true.” Chanan explained that Dempsie was his top pick for the role, and he was thrilled they were able to secure him.

Why is Dempsie’s character being framed for a crime he didn’t commit? Writer Chanan revealed he’ll play a bigger role as the story unfolds, and executive producer Rosie Alison hinted that his storyline will echo those of Isaac Turner and Shaun Emery from previous seasons.

Alison explained that the first three seasons of The Capture have often featured characters who are victims of deepfake manipulation. This happened to characters like Shaun and Isaac, and it seems likely that Joe Dempsie’s character is now facing the same terrifying possibility – having his life falsely portrayed. This creates a strong sense of relatable anxiety for Joe’s character.

Joining Dempsie in the new cast are Hugh Quarshie, Linus Roache, Jonathan Aris, Andrew Buchan, and Amanda Drew.

Holliday Grainger will be back, along with Indira Varma as Khadija Khan, Ben Miles as Danny Hart, Ron Perlman as Frank Napier, and Lia Williams as Gemma Garland.

You can now watch the first episode of The Capture season 3 on BBC iPlayer. New episodes will be released every Sunday at 6am, and then shown on BBC One at 9pm that same day.

Read more: The Capture season 2 ending explained: Does Correction get exposed?

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Authors

Morgan JefferyDigital Editor

Morgan Jeffery leads the editorial content for TopMob across all its digital platforms as the Digital Editor. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a TV Editor at Digital Spy and has appeared as a television expert on programs like BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live, and Sky Atlantic.

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2026-03-09 01:34