The Turkish Detective on BBC Two: who plays who in the new crime drama?

Barbara Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen’s novels are getting the small-screen treatment: the eight-part adaptation of her first book is now airing on BBC Two.

The show follows the adventures of Inspector Çetin Ikmen (Haluk Bilginer), a detective working for Istanbul’s homicide team.

"From the moment I opened Barbara Nadel's novel, I fell in love with the unique, iconic character of Inspector Ikmen,” screenwriter Ben Schiffer said. “A beacon of hope and humour in a dark, difficult world, I'm so delighted that he and our show, a blend of emotionally-charged mystery and family drama, has found a home at the BBC."

The eight-part series originally aired on Paramount+ in December, boasts a stacked cast full of big Turkish names. Here’s who.

Haluk Bilginer as Çetin Ikmen

Çetin lives in Istanbul and heads up the homicide investigations team there.

Haluk Bilginer is a Turkish actor. Born in Izmir, he moved to the UK to study at LAMDA; his first role was as Mehmet in longrunning soap EastEnders, which began in 1985 and lasted until 1989. He moved back to Turkey permanently in the 1990s and has since appeared in several Turkish TV shows and a slew of English language productions including Spooks and Alex Rider.

Ethan Kai as Mehmet Süleyman

Mehmet is from the UK, but at the start of the series he comes to Istanbul to work as Çetin’s partner. Though he’s a fresh face, he also has some mysterious motivations for making the move.

Eagle-eyed fans might spot Kai played none other than Kasim in Emmerdale – who first appeared in hospital after a horrific car crash. Though he left the show a few months later, in 2016, Kai has since appeared in shows like Killing Eve, Carnival Row and London Kills.

Yasemin Kay Allen as Ayşe Farsakoğlu

Ayşe is Çetin’s suave, sarcastic fellow detective in the homicide investigations team.

Allen is a Turkish-British actor. Born in London to Dudley Allen and singer Sonja Eady (who later married Turkish actor Kayhan Yıldızoğlu, Allen spent her childhood moving between Turkey and Australia. She broke through in Turkish TV shows like Elif and Kavak Yelleri (the Turkish version of Dawson’s Creek). This is her first major English-speaking role.

Erol Afsin as Tarik Sanver

Tarik works as the investigations team’s IT boffin.

Afsin is a Turkish actor who lives in Berlin. He’s appeared in several German-language productions over the years, including Swiss film Glaubenberg and 2021 German show Wir.

Dilan Gwyn as Leyla Pamuk

Leyla is a journalist. Once in a relationship with Mehmet, she’s been investigating murders, and has landed herself in danger as a result.

Gwyn’s family fled Turkey for Sweden in 1981 (her father was a Kurdish writer and activist). She has worked all over Europe, but made her on-screen debut in TV show Da Vinci’s Demons in 2013; she’s also appeared in horror films The Convent and Dracula Untold.

Selma Ergec as Selma Payidar

Selma is the person behind Mehmet’s transfer to the Istanbul team. She’s the chief prosecutor.

Ergec has been a mainstay of Turkish television for years: born in Germany to a Turkish father, she initially started her career as a model before breaking through in hit comedy series Yarım Elma.

Uygar Tamer as Fatma Ikmen

Fatma is Çetin’s wife.

Tamer, who plays her, is a Swiss-Turkish actor who has previously appeared in James Bond film Quantum of Solace and The Teachers’ Lounge.

Deniz Ülkü as Cicek Ikmen

Cicek is Çetin and Fatma’s teenage daughter.

Ülkü is a young Turkish actor – this is her first major English-speaking role.

The Turkish Detective is streaming now on BBC Two and on iPlayer