This gripping new crime drama will have you on the edge of your seats - and incredibly it’s based on real events.
It’s 1990, and with drug deaths soaring, the British government is determined to stop the heroin trade. The task is handed to a small team of customs officers who volunteer to be trained for a secret mission to infiltrate the main criminal gangs importing the lethal drug.
Don (Steve Coogan) the head of operations for HM Customs and Excise is given the job of finding the right recruits and training them for their new identities – or legends – before undertaking their risky assignment. He chooses family man Guy (Tom Burke), sharp-witted Kate (Hayley Squires) and VAT inspector Bailey (Aml Ameen), while civil service secretary Erin (Jasmine Blackborow) provides logistical support.
Two criminal organisations are feeding the heroin demand. One is a Turkish gang in London, and the other is in Liverpool. Guy (Tom Burke) is sent to target the London operation, while Kate (Hayley Squires) and Bailey (Aml Ameen) are sent north.
Who stars in Legends?
Tom Burke as Guy
Family man Guy (Tom Burke) is married to fellow customs officer Sophie (Charlotte Ritchie), but he’s frustrated by his work at Heathrow Airport and feels he’s capable of more. When Sophie spots an ad for a new job opportunity, Guy decides to apply. After being trained for undercover work, he’s set up in a flat in Green Lanes, London, where his job is to infiltrate a Turkish heroin ring.
‘Guy is working in airport security when we first meet him, and so is his wife Sophie,’ says Tom Burke. ‘Sophie’s perhaps even more aware than Guy about how stuck in a rut he is, and the effect it’s having on their marriage. She sees him noticing a poster at work, asking for volunteers for this potential mission, and she’s very encouraging of him to do it.’
Tom Burke is known for playing private investigator Cormoran Strike in Strike (2017-24) - based on JK Rowling’s books under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Dennis Rebrov in The Lazarus Project (2022-23), and of course, Athos in The Musketeers (2014-16).
Steve Coogan as Don
No-nonsense Don (Steve Coogan) is the head of operations for HM Customs and Excise, who’s put in charge of recruiting and training the team that will go undercover to stop the criminal gangs smuggling heroin into Britain. He has psychological scars from his own time undercover, and is determined that the new ‘legends’ won’t repeat his mistakes.
‘Don has to teach everyday customs officers who are used to searching bags at the airport, to go undercover and risk their lives,’ says Steve Coogan. ‘They haven’t been trained in that line of work, and that amateur element is part of what appealed to me, because it was sort of a police drama, but not really a police drama.’
Steve Coogan will always be associated with legendary – and idiotic – presenter Alan Partridge who’s featured in TV and radio series, as well as movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013). Memorable recent roles include Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning (2023), Barnabus in The Sandman (2025), Brian Walden in Brian And Maggie (2025), and an exaggerated version of himself in The Trip (2010-20) alongside Rob Brydon.
Other notable parts include Martin Sixsmith in Philomena (2013) and Stan Laurel in Stan & Ollie (2018). Steve was also a voice artist for satirical puppet show Spitting Image, and in 1988 provided vocals for acid house record Don’t Believe The Hype!
Hayley Squires as Kate
Stubborn and fearless, Kate (Hayley Squires) is uninspired by her job in the customs vice division and decides to volunteer for the undercover mission. She’s sent with Bailey (Aml Ameen) to Liverpool where she has to learn to curb her impulsivity.
‘When we first meet Kate, she’s very, very bored of her job,’ says Hayley Squires. ‘She’s working in the vice division of customs, knocking on the doors of men who have tried to import illegal pornography. It’s just really run of the mill for her, and I think she always has a sense that she could be doing more. She’s got quite a forward-thinking energy, and when she gets the opportunity to go and find out what this is all about, when the recruitment first happens, she jumps straight in.’
You’ll have spotted Hayley Squires recently as Sally Price-Jones in The Night Manager (2026), while other roles include Sara in Great Expectations (2023), Martha in The Essex Serpent (2022) and Jolene Dollar in Adult Material (2020) which earned her a BAFTA nomination.
She’s also known for playing Katie in I, Daniel Blake (2016) - which earned her another BAFTA nomination - and as Penelope in Beau Is Afraid.
Aml Ameen as Bailey
Bailey (Aml Ameen) is a methodical VAT inspector who needs to overcome his cautious nature to survive in the field after being sent to Liverpool. Initially he clashes with colleague Kate’s (Hayley Squires) recklessness.
‘Bailey’s an incredibly efficient person, if it’s within the boxes of what he does,’ says Aml Ameen. ‘Within his routine, he’s incredibly confident. But as soon as that routine shakes a little bit, you see his wobbly knees, and the pain behind the mask that he’s developed. Through the relationship between Kate and Bailey, you really start to unearth these two different characters. Kate is kind of cavalier and Bailey’s extremely cautious and prudent about how things should go, and they end up influencing each other to become better people. They’re like Pinky and the Brain.’
Aml Ameen recently played Roger White in A Man In Full (2024) and Junior Massey in The Porter (2022). He’s best known as Trevor in Kidulthood (2006), Malcolm Davies in Harry’s Law (2011-12), PC Lewis Hardy in The Bill (2002-07), Capheus Onyango in Sense8 (2015), and Alby in The Maze Runner (2014). Fun fact, he was just 11 when he performed on stage with Michael Jackson at the 1996 BRIT Awards before Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker famously invaded the stage during a performance of Earth Song.
Jasmine Blackborow as Erin
Humble and confident, civil service secretary Erin (Jasmine Blackborow) provides the team with logistical support to ensure their legends identities are believable. Her attention to detail is vital for the operation’s success.
‘Erin is a secretary who’s worked in the Civil Service for about six or seven years,’ says Jasmine Blackborow. ‘Despite being really bright, for various reasons she’s learned to suppress that, in order to fit or to blend in. As such, she’s lost a lot of enthusiasm for life. That’s all been extinguished, and she just kind of gets by. She has a cat whom she’s very fond of and she lives on her own. Don gives her a poster to put up in the women’s loos, which says “Could you offer more?” When she looks at it, it’s almost like there’s this little niggle inside that she has been ignoring for a really long time, and there’s something that she realises in that moment, there’s something more for me.’
Jasmine Blackborow recently starred as Lamballe in Marie Antoinette (2022-25) and as Charly in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen (2024). Her movie appearances include Jessica in Daemon Mind (2024) and Bella Freud in Moss & Freud (2025).
Charlotte Ritchie as Sophie
Sophie (Charlotte Ritchie) works as a customs officer at Heathrow Airport alongside her husband Guy (Tom Burke). Smart and resourceful, she is the driving force behind Guy applying for the legends covert mission.
A familiar face on TV, Charlotte Ritchie’s recent roles have seen her play Sophie Harrison in Dirty Business (2026), DS Ashleigh Francis in Code Of Silence (2025), Kate Galvin in You (2023-25), Bonnie in Grantchester (2022-24) and Alison Cooper in Ghosts (2019-23). She was also nurse Barbara Gilbert/Hereward in Call The Midwife (2015-18) and Melissa ‘Oregon’ Shawcross in Fresh Meat (2011-16).
Charlotte was also a member of the classical crossover group All Angels who made a cameo appearance during Kelly Windsor and Jimmy King’s wedding in Emmerdale!
Douglas Hodge as Blake
High-ranking civil servant Angus Blake (Douglas Hodge) is the director of customs investigations and answers directly to the Home Secretary. Despite political pressure for quick results, pragmatic Blake is loyal to his undercover team.
Douglas Hodge recently starred as Rex Mayhew in The Night Manager (2016-26), Velementov in The Great (2020-23) and Alistair Hastings in Lost In Space (2019-21). Other notable appearances are Bartholomew Rusk in Penny Dreadful (2015-16), Douglas in Catastrophe (2017-19), as well as movie roles as Jack Willis in Gemini Man (2019) and Alfred Pennyworth in Joker (2019).
Tom Hughes as Carter
Ambitious Liverpool drug boss Declan Carter (Tom Hughes) started life as a nightclub bouncer. However he’s determined to use the drug trade to buy himself respectability as he distances himself from his humble roots.
Tom Hughes has kept busy recently, playing Logan Campbell in The Gold (2025), Dr James Ford in Malpractice (2025), Titus in Those About To Die (2024), Paul Wentworth in Franklin, and Thomas Trafford in The English (2022).
He's also known for playing Kit Marlowe in A Discovery Of Witches (2021), and Prince Albert in Victoria (2016-19).
Away from acting Tom was a guitarist with indie band Quaintways. A man of many talents!
Johnny Harris as Eddie
Eddie McKee (Johnny Harris) has known Declan Carter (Tom Hughes) since they both started out in nightclub security, and is now his right-hand man and enforcer. At home though he’s a loving family man, although his work could come at a high personal cost.
Johnny Harris’ recent TV work has seen him play Osip Glebnikov in A Gentleman In Moscow (2024), Magwitch in Great Expectations (2023) and Charlie Rowley in The Salisbury Poisonings (2020). He’s also a familiar face for his BAFTA-nominated role as Mick Jenkis from Shane Meadows’ This Is England ’86 (2020), This Is England ’88 (2011), and This Is England ’90 (2015).
Gerald Kyd as Mylonas
Charismatic and larger-than-life Mylonas (Gerald Kyd) is Guy’s (Tom Burke) introduction into the Turkish underworld. He’s well connected, and operates with his own code of conduct.
Gerald Kyd’s recent roles include Thomas Mercer in In The Room (2025), Luka in The Assassin (2025), and Mr Murray in Malory Towers (2024). Other notable roles are J.J. Johnson in The Split (2022), Roger Muir in Cold Feet (2016-20) and Sean Maddox in Casualty (1198-2006).
Numan Acar as Hakan
Hakan is T'he King Of Green Lanes' and the head of the London heroin gang. Ever vigilant, he's also very protective of his Kurdish heritage.
After growing up in Turkey, Numan Acar moved to Germany where he studied to become a civil engineer before taking up acting. With numerous parts in Turkish, German and South Korean productions, he was recently seen as Esad Kasgarli in Young Sherlock (2026), and was also Haissam Haqqani in Homeland (2014-20).
Kem Hassan as Aziz
Smartly dressed Aziz (Kem Hassan) is Hakan’s (Numan Acar) son. English culture is a big influence on him, and he is toying with the idea of leaving the criminal underworld to start a legitimate business.
Although Legends is his biggest role to date, Kem Hassan also popped up as Phil in The Sandman (2025), Mark Weston in Beyond Paradise (2025), and Robert Macario in Grace (2024).
Joshua Samuels as Zeki
Zeki (Joshua Samuels) is a young and ambitious lieutenant in Hakan’s (Numan Acar) gang. Frustrated by Hakan’s traditional methods, he’s also deeply suspicious of Guy (Tom Burke).
Joshua Samuels appeared as Jerren in The Gold (2025) and Frank in Sexy Beast. He also played Liam in Saltburn (2023).
Is Legends based on a book?
No, writer and creator Neil Forsyth heard about the real-life Guy’s story through producing partner Ben Farrell. He had lunch with Guy - played by Tom Burke in Legends - three years ago, who told him about his experiences, and also put him in touch with some of the other legends.
‘I conducted lots of interviews, some with people who were happy to talk to me publicly, others who needed to be a bit more clandestine,’ says Neil Forsyth. ‘I have a great researcher – Adam Fenn – who spent months trawling through all sorts of records, from court transcripts to newspaper archives, but it’s a largely unknown story.
‘I did need to condense and simplify it, because otherwise it would be extremely complicated and we’d have far too many characters. It’s about working out how to take the true story and make it manageable in terms of six episodes of television, because real life is very messy. So we did the research, gathered up everything that happened and all the people who were involved, and decided which characters to concentrate on. In some cases these are composites of real life people, to give a real breadth of experience, while being completely true to the spirit of what happened and the major incidents that occurred.’
Where was Legends filmed?
Plenty of locations were used for the six-part series including London, Liverpool, Bedford, Portsmouth, St Albans, East Sussex, Reading and Morocco.
When and where does Legends air?
All six episodes of Legends will be available on Netflix from Thursday 7 May.
A big fan of comedy, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and W1A are guaranteed to have Nick Fiaca chuckling. He also loves a good detective drama with California PI Jim Rockford from the iconic The Rockford Files topping his list of favourite sleuths. He also boldly dips into the Star Trek universe when he feels like a new enterprise, and loves a good history series.