A Town Called Malice cast: Sky Max take us back to the 1980s – meet the characters in this nostalgia-fuelled gangster series

Stick on your Fila tracksuit, shoulder pads and legwarmers, dig out your Duran Duran cassettes and get ready for a hefty spread of prawn cocktails and cheese and pineapple hedgehogs: Sky Max is transporting us back to the 1980s in new gangster drama A Town Called Malice.

Created by Nick Lowe, the director of The Business and The Football Factory, this eight-part drama is a sun-drenched, wild adventure about a down-on-their-luck family of British gangsters trying to make a new start on the Costa Del Sol.

A time capsule filled with iconic pop and outrageous costumes, A Town Called Malice is part love story, part gang thriller and part musical.

You can watch every episode on Sky Max with NOW from 16 March and ahead of the series premiere, here is a quick guide to the A Town Called Malice cast and where you might have seen them before.

A Town Called Malice full cast list

• Jason Flemyng - Plays Albert Lord
• Jack Rowan - Plays Gene Lord
• Tahirah Sharif – Plays Cindy Carter, Gene’s girlfriend
• Martha Plimpton – Plays Mint Ma
• Dougray Scott – Plays Uncle Tony
• Lex Shrapnel – Plays Leonard Lord
• Daniel Sharman - Plays Kelly Lord
• George Jaques - Plays Anthony Lord
• Eliza Butterworth - Plays Carly Lord
• Leanne Best – Plays DI Lindsey
• Coen Bril – Plays Luuk
• Bruno Sevilla – Plays Alfonso
• Marcelo Converti – Plays Mayor Cesar Cabrol
• Bamshad Abedi-Amin – Plays Tariq
• Jose Luis Ferrer – Plays Diego
• Dwane Walcott – Plays Clarence
• Sarah Shahin – Plays Amira
• Melina Matthews – Plays Lola
• Ana Santos – Plays Manuela

Exclusive - A Town Called Malice interview

A Town Called Malice soundtrack - All the classic 80s songs in the show

Jason Flemyng – Plays Albert Lord

The patriarch was once one of London’s most feared gangland figures until he blew the lot. But now, as an opportunity presents itself to recapture some of the family’s former glory, he’ll risk it all by holding onto the reins and refusing to see Gene, his youngest and most capable son, as a worthy heir.

Jason Flemyng said: “I’d always really, really wanted to work with Nick. It was weird because when we did all those Guy Ritchie movies, it seemed like you were either in one camp or the other. There weren’t many people who managed to do both. And so I thought I had missed the boat. But enough time has passed for Nick to look at me not just as a part of the Guy Ritchie team. I was really chuffed.”

Where have you seen Jason Flemyng before?

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrell, Save Me, The Missing, The Walk-In

Martha Plimpton – Plays Mint Ma 

A glamorous matriarch with not a hair out of place, she’s been at Albert’s side for 40 years of brutal violence and criminality, but having watched him crash and burn the family’s fortune once already, she’s not about to let it happen again.

Martha Plimpton said: “I hope it makes [viewers] feel like we did back then when we would watch Dallas every week and gather around the television, breathlessly waiting for the next horrible thing that Sue Ellen would do. I also hope that they are surprised by the performances. Tahirah and Jack are fantastic. I hope that viewers are truly invested in their story as well because it’s such a weird and crazy romance they have.”

Where have you seen Martha Plimpton before?

The Goonies, Parentood, Raising Hope, The Good Wife

Jack Rowan – Plays Gene Lord

A 25-year-old dreamer cut from a different cloth to his older brothers, Gene has spent his life trying to break away from his criminal family. But the opportunity in Spain draws him back into the fold against his will, and Gene starts to grow in confidence, status and killer instinct – until it’s clear that he’s the natural successor.

Jack Rowan said: “As an actor, auditions come through all the time. Most scripts are OK, but there are those things that come along every now and then where if you don’t get it, you’re gutted. This was one of those. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. The music, the world, but mainly the opportunity to play a character who has such an arc and such a journey over a long period of time.”

Where have you seen Jack Rowan before?

Born to Kill, Peaky Blinders, Noughts and Crosses

Tahirah Sharif – Plays Cindy Carter 

A survivor with a troubled past, Cindy is sharp, wildly determined, and fearless. When Cindy meets Gene, she sees in him what none of his family appreciate – he’s smart, cunning and dreams big – just like her.

Tahirah Sharif said: “There’s probably a younger audience that are going to love it because it’s retro and cool, and there’s been a massive resurgence in 80s fashion and music. But I just hope that people will really get behind the characters and adore the heart of this story about family and love and their sometimes-desperate need for survival.”

Where have you seen Tahirah Sharif before?

The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Tower

Lex Shrapnel – Plays Leonard Lord 

Pushed front and centre as the heir to the dwindling Lord empire, Leonard is a physical beast who does his father’s fighting for him, until Spain awakes an unexpected side in him that will put him in direct conflict with Albert.

Lex Shrapnel said: “I loved Nick’s work, films like The Football Factory and The Business. And I loved the world that Nick had created in A Town Called Malice. I just loved how he’d opened up that world.”

Where have you seen Lex Shrapnel before?

Captain America: The First Avenger, Extinction, Medici

Eliza Butterworth – Plays Carly Lord 

Leonard’s childhood sweetheart who gave birth to their son, Anthony, when she was just a teenager and was then folded into the suffocating Lord family, who all helped her raise him. Though she has been overlooked by Albert and Mint Ma as merely a trophy wife, we will come to discover why Carly is so much more than just a glamour girl.

Eliza Butterworth said: “I absolutely loved all of the characters. I found them larger than life, but at the same time so relatable. So fierce, so loyal, so flawed, as well. I just love the world of A Town Called Malice. I love the vibrancy, the adventure, the thrill, and the humour of it.”

Where have you seen Eliza Butterworth before?

The Last Kingdom, The North Water

Daniel Sharman – Plays Kelly Lord

A flashy and flamboyant middle child, Kelly will do anything to try and get the attention of his family that he’s long been deprived of.

Sly, volatile and filled with delusions of grandeur, he’s desperate for Albert to recognise that he’s the best heir to the family throne.

Daniel Sharman said: “Once you give in to this world, it’s infectious and enormously fun to be a part of. After a bleak English winter, I hope audiences just surrender to it. Once it gets you, it just keeps hold of you, and I love that about it. So I hope viewers sit back, enjoy it and let it take you on an incredible journey.”

Where have you seen Daniel Sharman before?

Teen Wolf, The Originals, Fear the Walking Dead, Medici

Dougray Scott – Plays Uncle Tony

When Gene and Cindy find themselves in a time of need, Albert Lord’s brother comes to the rescue with the offer of a safe haven in the Costa Del Sol. But behind his fading charm he’s nothing but a liar, a conman and a letch.

Dougray Scott said: “I hope people will be entertained because that’s the name of the game. I also hope they appreciate the writing, the direction and the evocation of this era. It looks so filmic and really fantastic. Finally, I hope people will be inspired to go out and buy some Spandau Ballet and some Jam records and remember how glorious the 80s were, apart from the haircuts. The haircuts really were terrible!”

Where have you seen Dougray Scott before?

Crime, Ever After, Mission: Impossible 2, My Week with Marilyn

George Jaques - Plays Anthony Lord

A brutish kid on the cusp of adulthood with ambitions to become a force within - the Lord family. The only Lord grandchild - having been spoilt all his life, Anthony is entitled and capricious; traits which will lead him into mischief and have unfortunate consequences.

George Jaques said: “The Lords are the most horrible people - we can’t deny that. Anthony is entitled and evil and has a lot of bad traits. But what I really think Nick has done well is show that, however ugly the family is, they are still a family.”

Where have you seen George Jaques before?

The Black Dog, The Serpent Queen, The Third Day

Josh Tedeku - Plays Eddie Smith

Fresh out of Borstal prison, Eddie is a beautiful, brooding boy who has been damaged by his childhood. Growing up black in 1970s Britain, Eddie has learned to fight back, and he’s coped by closing himself off, nursing his grievances and burying his pain… until now. Spain will see Eddie start to realise his own dreams and aspirations.

Josh Tedeku said: “I hope people get fully immersed in it. Sometimes people watch dramas critically. But if you go into this show fully immersing yourself in the world of this 80s crime family and put your heart into it, you’ll be really moved by it.”

Where have you seen Josh Tedeku before?

Moonhaven

Stream A Town Called Malice on Sky Max with NOW from Thursday, 16 March