How The Stolen Girl Assembles Its Cast: Where You’ve Seen the Stars Before

The Stolen Girl arrives on the UK broadcaster this week, and the stolen girl at the centre of its five-part drama drives a tense story about a missing child, deception and family secrets. The series, adapted from Alex Dahl’s bestselling novel Playdate, originally premiered on a streaming platform last April and now kicks off on the UK broadcaster from Wednesday 25th February.

The Stolen Girl: cast and key roles

The ensemble combines established screen names with rising talent. Jim Sturgess plays Fred Blix, one half of the married couple whose daughter, Lucia, goes missing; Fred is a criminal barrister whose world is upended by the kidnapping. Ambika Mod appears as Selma Desai, a determined journalist at Dash Voice who leads her own investigation after believing the police aren’t moving fast enough.

Holliday Grainger, Denise Gough and Bronagh Waugh are among the other principal cast members. Denise Gough’s noted stage work and screen credits are referenced in the production’s materials. Bronagh Waugh is listed as DI Shona Sinclair, the lead investigator on Lucia’s case. Holliday Grainger is included among the starring names.

Where you’ve seen the stars before: credits and past roles

• Jim Sturgess: credited as an English actor and singer-songwriter with notable film credits including Across the Universe, 21, Dexter Mayhew in One Day, Cloud Atlas, Fifty Dead Men Walking, and voice work in Legend of the Guardians.
• Ambika Mod: listed for roles including Emma Morley in a 2024 streaming adaptation of One Day, Shruti Acharya in a 2022 drama, and an appearance in I Hate Suzie.
• Denise Gough: noted for Olivier Award-winning stage work in People, Places and Things and Angels in America; screen roles include parts credited in a high-profile space-opera series, Too Close, and the titular role in the thriller Paula.
• Holliday Grainger: named for work that includes a lead role as DCI Rachel Carey in a returning drama, and other credits listed as Waterloo Road, Mickey 17, Strike, and Cinderella.
• Bronagh Waugh: credited for appearances in The Fall, a long run on Hollyoaks from 2009 to 2013, and roles in Ridley, Viewpoint, Unforgotten, Derry Girls, and Death in Paradise.
• Xavier Samuel: identified for film roles including The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Elvis, Blonde, The Loved Ones, Adore, Anonymous, Fury, as well as TV work including The Clearing; the final fragment of that listing is unclear in the provided context.

Premise and central characters in the five-part drama

The Stolen Girl follows the fallout after a child disappears following a sleepover. Elisa Blix is described as a cabin manager on private jets and the mother of Lucia; she allows Lucia to stay overnight at her friend Josie’s house after meeting Josie’s seemingly friendly mother, Rebecca Walsh. Rebecca is presented as the warm, convincing mother who persuades Elisa to let Lucia spend the night. Marcus Turner is identified as a hotelier and Elisa’s former lover who is currently serving time in prison.

The narrative threads include Selma Desai’s investigative push at Dash Voice, DI Shona Sinclair’s official inquiry, and Fred Blix’s personal and professional unraveling. The story is framed as dark and tense, exploring betrayal, deception and family secrets.

Broadcast partnership expansion and executive reactions

A deeper content-sharing pact between the UK broadcaster and a major streaming partner will bring a pair of originals to the broadcaster’s linear schedule. The Stolen Girl, produced by Quay Street Productions and Brightstar, launched on a streaming platform last April and is scheduled to debut on the broadcaster tomorrow; another title, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, is slated to play later in the year on the same platform.

Both shows will run on the broadcaster under a co-branded banner tied to the streaming partner. The move continues a content-sharing approach that already saw curated rails of each partner’s programming added to the other’s streaming service last summer. Karl Holmes, General Manager, EMEA for the streaming partner, described the arrangement as an exciting next step in collaboration and framed the linear airings as a way to introduce millions more viewers to originals available on the partner streaming service. Kevin Lygo, the broadcaster’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, described the extension as a deepening of the relationship and said bringing premium original series to primetime complements the earlier content-sharing model established last year.

Trailer and assorted recent headlines connected to the coverage

The Stolen Girl trailer highlights Holliday Grainger, Denise Gough and Ambika Mod among the leads.

Other distinct items present in the coverage pool include:

• A public figure identified as Duff expressing gratitude to fans for sticking by her more than 20 years later.
• Microsoft will allow Xbox consoles to stream games at 1440p for subscribers who hold a Game Pass Ultimate membership.
• Dover is hosting the All-Star Race for the first time.
• On an episode of the Football 301 podcast, two hosts, Nate Tice and Matt Harmon, who are in Indianapolis this week at the combine, reviewed key Buckeyes players.
• James Harden has played in just seven games after being acquired by the Cavaliers.
• Google announced a set of Gemini-powered features for Android.
• Maverick Games is seeking a new publisher for its debut game, which remains in development.
• Arvell Reese is described as a versatile and productive player for Ohio State.
• A fighter named Benn has a reported $15 million deal with Zuffa Boxing, positioning him among the highest-paid fighters under the TKO umbrella.
• A film release is noted as the first since the exit of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who starred in the last two Scream movies.

Recent updates indicate the UK broadcast rollout for the Stolen Girl and the broader content pact may evolve; details such as scheduling are subject to change.