Channel 4 has announced the cast of its upcoming sci-fi drama Humans which is being co-produced with American cable broadcaster AMC.
Made by Kudos for the broadcasters, Humans is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart.
In the hope of transforming the way they live, one strained suburban family purchases a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences.
William Hurt will play George Millican, a widower who has formed a close relationship with his out-of-date synth Odi, who he treats more like a son than a piece of machinery.
BAFTA award-winning Katherine Parkinson co-stars as Laura, a woman who seems to have it all – a great career as a lawyer, a loving husband, three children. But inside she’s struggling with her own unresolved demons.
In a misguided attempt to help the situation her husband Joe, played by Olivier award-winning Tom Goodman Hill, buys a Synth.
Played by Gemma Chan, Anita is the pliant, servile automaton that all Synths are supposed to be – but every now and then, she does something inexplicable. Something…almost human
Colin Morgan has joined the cast as Leo, who’s desperately trying to track down someone from his past; BAFTA award-winning Rebecca Front plays the NHS funded overbearing carer synth, Vera; and Neil Maskell takes on the role of police officer D.S Peter Drummond, who works for the Special Technologies Task Force.
The series is adapted by Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley (Spooks), from ‘Real Humans’ the original Swedish production from Sveriges Television (SVT) and Matador Films.