“The BBC’s most adored crime drama”: Inside Hope Street’s “special” return with “surprise” new cast

If you’re missing the BBC’s most adored crime drama - that's Hope Street, if you're wondering - we bring you some good news. The broadcaster has confirmed that the popular series is returning with a feature-length special - and there are some surprise new cast members on board.

With the latest series ending with a shock death and a shock proposal, the bombshells are sure to keep rocking the seaside town of Port Devine. A wedding is on the cards and three fresh faces are coming onto the scene to join our cast favourites - what could possibly go wrong? A lot, from the sounds of it.

While we wait for the arrival of the Hope Street spin-off on our screens, here’s everything you need to know the upcoming special, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Hope Street about?

Hope Street takes us to close-knit seaside town of Port Devine where the local police team solves a crime in each episode. Across five series, the show has introduced us to a plethora of new members of the police force, including Detective Leila Hussain (Amara Karan), DC Al Quinn (Stephen Hagan) and DC Jo Lipton (Karen Hassan), who have faced their fair share of challenging investigations, while confronting many of their own personal dilemmas.

Series 5 saw the show reach its 50^th episode milestone, and there was as much drama as ever, including an explosion at the town’s half marathon, a shock shooting and theft. Meanwhile, Donal Gallagher (Cameron Cuffe), a charming newcomer, joined the force and got into a messy romantic relationship with Dr. Sasha Cookson (Jenn Murray). An unexpected death rocked the community, and as one long-standing relationship ended, another one blossomed.

What will happen in the Hope Street special?

The Hope Street special takes us back to the fictional seaside town of Port Devine, where a violent crime against a popular local kicks off the action, with the investigation bringing bad news for the esteemed and stubborn Detective Sergeant Marlene Pettigrew (Kerri Quinn). Love is also in the air and there’s a wedding to plan, but the BBC has already hinted that something will go wrong. This is Port Devine, after all!

Three new characters will join the community, too. We'll meet Malcolm McQueen (Paddy Raff), the new chef and barman at The Commodore (the restaurant at the heart of the community); minister the Reverend Dodds (Tim McGarry); and Anna Baptiste (Letitia Hector) Marlene’s new love interest. There is also a tribute to the late Finnian Garbutt, who played PC Ryan Power, with the special including scenes he filmed before his death earlier this year.

Mary McKeagney, Commissioning Editor, BBC Northern Ireland, told the BBC: “We hope this feature length film will provide the perfect opportunity to tie up some loose ends for fans. And with some new characters thrown into the mix, I’m sure there will be plenty of drama in Port Devine! It is a bit of a thank you to all our audiences for engaging so enthusiastically with the series.”

Who’s in the cast of the Hope Street special?

The cast of the Hope Street special includes:

• Paddy Raff (The Paddy Raff Show) as Malcolm McQueen
• Tim McGarry (Give My Head Peace) as the Reverend Dodds
• Letitia Hector (Venus Vs Mars) as Anna Baptiste
• Kerri Quinn (Dead and Buried) as Marlene Pettigrew
• Tara-Lynne O’Neill (Derry Girls) as Eve Dunlop
• Niamh McGrady (The Fall) as Nicole Devine-Dunwoody
• Marcus Onilude (The Batman) as Luke Jackson
• Cameron Cuffe (Krypton) as Donal Gallagher
• Katie Shortt (Casualty)as Brandi McClure
• Eleanor Methven (Becoming Jane) as Lois Dunlop
• Paddy Jenkins (An Irish Goodbye) as Seamie McCarthy
• Jonny Grogan (The Head) as Ross Dunlop
• RheAna Kamalu (To A Flame) as Chloe Jackson

How can I watch the Hope Street special?

The Hope Street special will air on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Daytime later this autumn following a theatrical release in cinemas across Northern Ireland in September 2026, with further cinematic releases across the UK in October 2026. In the meantime, you can catch up on the main series on BBC iPlayer now.

What other crime dramas can I watch now?

If you’re a fan of Death in Paradise, we'd recommend its spin-off, Return to Paradise. The series follows DI Mackenzie “Mack” Clarke, who begrudgingly has to stay in her Australian hometown of Dolphin Bay having previously worked for the Met Police. Not only does she have a series of puzzling crimes to solve, she has plenty of personal issues, too. Return to Paradise is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. For something even more comforting, we'd suggest Hudson & Rex. Detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon) of the St. John’s Major Crimes unit and his impressive K9 German Shepherd, Rex, team up to solve crimes and they make quite the formidable duo. Hudson & Rex is available to stream on U now.