Great Expectations cast: who's who in the Steven Knight adaptation

Great Expectations cast: Olivia Colman in a flowing white dress and head-dress as Miss Havisham sits beside Fionn Whitehead in a dark suit and red tie as Pip and Shalom Brune-Franklin in a red dress as Estella in Great Expectations
Olivia Colman plays the iconic Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. (Image credit: FX/BBC)

There's a brilliant Great Expectations cast for the latest BBC adaptation, which will retell the classic coming-of-age story of Pip and those he encounters as he moves to London to become a gentleman.

The Charles Dickens story has seen many adaptations over the years, and the new BBC version will explore a 'troubled' Pip as he attempts to climb the social rankings and make a better life for himself.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is at the helm of the adaptation, with Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott serving as two of the producers. They're not the only big names attached though, as many well-known actors are taking on the iconic characters we all know and love.

Here's everything you need to know about the Great Expectations cast...

Fionn Whitehead as Pip

Fionn Whitehead as Pip in Great Expectations

Fionn Whitehead as Pip. (Image credit: BBC)

Pip is the protagonist of Great Expectations, and we follow him on his journey from a poor young boy in the countryside to a young man in London. He has big dreams and ambitions and is focused on becoming a well-to-do gentleman.

In this version, he's played by actor Fionn Whitehead who is known for his role as Stefan in the interactive Netflix movie Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and as Tommy in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. He also appeared in the Misdirection episode of the BBC anthology series Inside No 9

Tom Sweet as Young Pip

Tom Sweet in Great Expectations

Tom Sweet as Young Pip.  (Image credit: BBC)

Tom Sweet plays the younger version of Pip. He's been in The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, The Drifter and Ashes in the Snow

Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella

Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella in Great Expectations

Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella. (Image credit: BBC)

Estella is Miss Havisham's adopted daughter. She was raised by her with one goal in mind: to break the hearts of men. This is her way of getting revenge, so Estella hasn't really had the chance to have her own life independent from Miss Havisham's wants.

Shalom Brune-Franklin plays this role, and has appeared in BBC dramas The Tourist and Line of Duty, and the 2021 adaptation of War of the Worlds. She has also had roles in the movies Thor: Ragnarok and OtherLife.

Chloe Lea as Young Estella

Chloe Lea as Young Estella

Chloe Lea as Young Estella. (Image credit: BBC)

Chloe Lea plays the younger version of Estella. She got her big break at 9 years old on Scott and Bailey and has since been in The Dumping Ground and Foundation

Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham

Olivia Colman in costume as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations

Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham. (Image credit: BBC/FX Networks/Pari Dukovic)

Miss Havisham's life stopped after she was left at the altar by someone she was madly in love with, and she is now heartbroken, bitter and refuses to leave her decaying mansion. She adopted Estella and raised her to be a cruel heartbreaker, and soon sets her sights on Pip after he arrives in London.

This iconic role is played by Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, whose credits include The Favourite, The Father, Empire of Light and Channel 4's offbeat comedy Peep Show.

Ashley Thomas as Mr Jaggers

Ashley Thomas as Mr Jaggers in Great Expecations

Ashley Thomas as Mr Jaggers. (Image credit: BBC)

Mr Jaggers is a highly successful London lawyer who is in charge of Pip's finances and his overall training to become a gentleman. Miss Havisham is also one of his clients, so he knows her well.

Ashley Thomas is best known for his role as Jermaine Newton in the TV series Top Boy, and appeared in the Fifteen Million Merits episode of the dystopian series Black Mirror. He has also starred in the movie Brotherhood and is sometimes credited under his stage name Bashy.

Johnny Harris as Magwitch

Johnny Harris as Magwitch in Great Expectations

Johnny Harris as Magwitch.  (Image credit: BBC)

Magwitch is an escaped convict who meets young Pip while he is on the run. Pip agrees to supply Magwitch with food and a file to help him and that's where their story begins.

He's played by Johnny Harris who is known for his roles in the This is England TV miniseries and in EastEnders. He has also starred in movies such as Jawbone and Snow White and the Huntsman. 

Hayley Squires as Mrs Sara Gargery

Hayley Squires as Sara in Great Expectations

Hayley Squires as Mrs Sara Gargery. (Image credit: BBC)

Mrs Sara Gargery is Pip's sister, and is commonly referred to as being a bitter, angry woman who brings up Pip "by hand". She lives with her husband, a blacksmith, and aspires to be more than simply just "the blacksmith's wife".

Sara is played by Hayley Squires, whose credits include the horror movie In the Earth and Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake. She is also starring in the upcoming A24 movie Beau is Afraid, alongside Joaquin Phoenix

Owen McDonnell as Mr Joe Gargery

Mr Joe Gargery is Sara's husband and Pip's brother-in-law. He is kindhearted and loyal, and very different from his wife. He has a better relationship with Pip than his wife too.

In this version, Joe is played by Owen McDonnell who is known for Netflix movie Love & Gelato, and BBC dramas Silent Witness and Killing Eve.

Trystan Gravelle as Compeyson

Trystan Gravelle as Compeyson in Great Expectations

Trystan Gravelle as Compeyson. (Image credit: BBC)

Compeyson is the main antagonist of Great Expectations. He is a professional swindler, counterfeiter, and general law-breaker and crucially, the man who jilted Miss Havisham at the altar. 

He's played by Trystan Gravelle, known for his roles in Baptiste, A Discovery of Witches and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Matt Berry as Mr Pumblechook

Matt Berry as Mr Pumblechook

Matt Berry as Mr Pumblechook. (Image credit: BBC)

Mr Pumblechook is Joe's uncle. He is the one who is responsible for bringing Pip to Miss Havisham's house and is the proprietor of a dry goods shop.

Matt Berry is best known for playing Laszlo in What We Do in the Shadows, and for his role as Steven Toast in Toast of London and follow-up Toast of Tinseltown. He has also appeared in The IT Crowd and The Book of Boba Fett

Great Expectations starts on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, March 26 at 9 pm. In the US, it's available on the same day on FX on Hulu.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress