Grace series 5: Protection actor and Emmerdale baddie guest star in episode 2

Grace series 5: Protection actor and Emmerdale baddie guest star in episode 2

By Dave Golder | Sun Apr 13 2025

Episode 2 of Grace series 5 pulls in guest cast from Protection, Harlots, Emmerdale and The Marlow Murder Club in an investigation into digital fraud.

One dead guy seems to have left behind a lot of lovestruck women – and men.

Meanwhile, after the dramatic first episode of the series, which kickstarted a new era for the show after Roy Grace finally found his missing wife in the series 3 finale, the latest episode hints that the Sandy storyline may not be dead yet...

What happens in Grace series 5, episode 2 – Dead At First Sight?

After the body of a man is found in a hotel room, the cops at East Sussex Police cotton on that there’s something more complex going on here than illicit affairs – this is a case of identity theft.

Grace and his team have to rely heavily on the digital forensics team this episode, as deep dives into various laptops and mobiles reveal a criminal plan that casts a very wide “net”. And more bodies start turning up faster than Glenn can say, “Gone phishing”.

Meanwhile, Grace is getting used to factoring newly discovered son Bruno into his life. But then Bruno says something unsettling that sets the cogs in Grace’s mind whirring.

Who's in the guest cast of Grace series 5, episode 2?

Holli Dempsey, who appears in this episode of Grace, can also currently be seen as DC Alice Hackett, a recurring cop in The Marlow Murder Club [Credit: UKTV]

Harlots star Holli Demspey as Sam Fordwater

Sam Fordwater is a modern girl, who’s enjoying a remote relationship online with her boyfriend, Dan. He’s overseas doing some heartwarming work with orphans. But he is a little short of cash… (you’re presumably already joining the dots in an episode about identity theft).

This “victim” role is very different from the part that Holli Dempsey is most famous for – the self-assured, hot-tempered, high-class prostitute Emily Lacey in all three seasons of ITV’s raunchy 18th century period drama Harlots (2017-2019).

She was one who has a fiery relationship with drug-addled Charles Quigley (Douggie McMeekin), almost killing him one moment then setting up a new brothel with him the next.

She can also currently be seen as DC Alice Hackett, a recurring cop in The Marlow Murder Club (not that she gets a lot to do), and has had prominent guest roles in the recently axed McDonald & Dodds, Mrs Sidhu Investigates and Agatha Raisin. She was also a regular performer on the comedy sketch series The Emily Atack Show (2020-2022).

Holli is joined in this episode by an old Harlots cast mate – Briony Scarlett, who plays Aisha in Grace, appeared as Rani Balakrishnan throughout the third and final season of the period drama.

Boo hiss – an Emmerdale baddie plays Johnny Fordwater [Credit: ITV]

Mark Noble appears as Johnny Fordwater

A man with a short temper who'll do anything to protect his daughters, Johnny is father to Louise and Sam. He’s happy that Sam has met someone she loves online and is concerned that Louise hasn’t found someone too. He might be a little less keen to suggest online dating to Louise if he knew what was happening to Sam’s bank balance.

Mark Noble, who plays Johnny, had a memorable stint on Emmedale from 2022-2023, playing the despised Colin Hamston, a homophobic local councillor who was abusive to his gay son Marshall (Max Fletcher).

When Marshall left home to escape his dad, Hamston went completely off the rails and took Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) hostage, keeping her captive for three days.

You may have also caught Mark recently in the bizarre Swedish satire Whiskey On The Rocks – available on Disney+ in the UK – playing former president Ronald Reagan in the Cold War comedy drama.

However, it’s more likely you’ll have seen him as Henry Dinsdale in various episodes of Channel 5’s All Creatures Great And Small.

Mark has also appeared in multiple random episodes of The Bill (between 1993 and 2007), The Borgias (2011-2012) and Coronation Street as the magistrate for the hearing of Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston), on charges of possession of cannabis and ABH.

The elder of the two Fordwater sisters, Louise, is played by Amy Trigg [Credit: ITV]

Amy Trigg plays Louise Fordwater

Louise is Sam’s older sister, and she’s not convinced that online dating is for her. She's been a wheelchair user ever since an accident outside a nightclub 16 years perviously, when her drink was spiked by her then-boyfriend, Ben Cross, and she walked into the road.

Louise is played by Olivier Award-winner Amy Trigg (she won Best Actress In A Supporting Role In A Musical for The Little Big Things in 2024).

On screen you may have caught her in last year’s Father Brown opening episode The Kembleston Olimpicks) and in the third episode of the BBC sitcom Amandaland earlier this year, where she played maths teacher Mrs Judd at the parents evening.

The Holiday star Cat Simmons plays a suspicious wife in Grace [Credit: Channel 5]

Cat Simmons plays Charlotte Seward

At the start of the episode, Charlotte Seward is secretly following her philandering businessman hubbie Toby Steward, or case-kicking-off-corpse-of-the-week as he’ll soon be known.

She’s spot-on that he’s having an affair with a colleague in a Brighton hotel, but that’s only a tiny piece of the crazy jigsaw of this week’s plot.

In a previous incarnation, Cat Simmons, who plays Charlotte in the episode, would have been investigating the case rather than a suspect in it. She spent four seasons on The Bill between 2006 and 2009 as Trainee Detective Constable Kezia Walker.

She also had a major role in the Jill Halfpenny-starring Channel 5 crime drama The Holiday in 2021, where she played a prime suspect who ended up proven innocent, but died in the process.

Earlier this year she also appeared in two episodes of the ITV1 Martin Clunes drama Out There, playing Robyn.

Protection actor Syrus Lowe is part of the Grace series 5 guest cast [Credit: Shutterstock]

Syrus Lowe joins guest cast as Jarvis Brooks

Boxing Gym owner and online gamer Jarvis has a spring in his step, as his colleagues have noticed. He’s discovered true love on the internet with a guy named Hans, who’s coming to Brighton to meet him for the first time. Hans, however, never appears at the train station. But surely that isn’t enough to make a man like Jarvis kill himself?

Jarvis is played by Syrus Lowe, who recently appeared as DC Noel Taylor in three episodes of the ITV1 crime drama Protection, starring Siobhan Finneran and Katherine Kelly.

A bit of a dour crime drama specialist, he also appeared in three episodes of Strike: Trouble Blood (2022) as Robin’s flat mate Max Priestwood, and four episodes of Treason, the 2022 Netflix spy thriller starring Olga Kurylenko, Oona Chaplin and Ciarán Hinds.

Seen here in Blue Lights, Michael Shea appears in Grace as Rupert [Credit: BBC]

Michael Shea plays Rupert

Rupert is the phishing expert at a local charity supporting victims of online fraud.

“Romance fraud is the worst emotionally,” he tells Grace. “You don’t just lose money. You lose trust, self esteem.”

Michael Shea, who plays him, had a major role in season one of the BBC’s Belfast-based cop show Blue Lights in 2023. He played Mo McIntyre, son of gangster James McIntyre (John Lynch) and very much following in Daddy’s footsteps.