Game of Thrones star unrecognisable in addictive new | UK News

Netflix viewers have been binge-watching model new crime collection Department Q, which is at the moment sitting at the highest of the streaming giant’s UK most-watched chart. 

The Edinburgh-based drama, which sees Downton Abbey’s Matthew Goode take on the lead position of DCI Carl Morck, boasts a star-studded solid. 

The line-up consists of Trainspotting’s Kelly Macdonald, Shetland’s Mark Bonnar and The Queen’s Gambit star Chloe Pirrie. 

Eagle-eyed Game of Thrones followers might also recognise legendary actress Kate Dickie, who seems to be worlds away from her character on the HBO show.

In Department Q, Dickie performs DCS Moira Jacobson, Morck’s no-nonsense boss who asks him to head up a new Cold Case unit for the Edinburgh police division. 

In Game of Thrones, she performed the relatively unhinged Lysa Arryn, who is the widow of Lord Jon Arryn and Lady of the Riverlands. 

She is the youthful sister of Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell, and the older sister of Lord Edmure Tully, Lord of Riverrun.

Dickie’s different notable roles have been in Annika, where she performed DCI Diane Oban, and the BBC collection Tinsel Town, in which she performed Lex.

Her feature-film debut got here in 2006’s Red Road, for which she received a number of awards, including Best Actress at the British Academy Scotland Awards and the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.

Dickie’s Department Q co-star Alexej Manvelov, who performs Akram Salim in the Netflix show, beforehand expressed his pleasure to work with her in an unique interview with Reach.

“Just to come in and work on this high of a level of craft of acting; it was amazing,” he confirmed. 

“And the ensemble is just… I mean I’ve been a fan of Kate Dickie’s for ages, since Red Road. So just to have a scene with her, I was like, ‘Oh my god’.”

Department Q has been a hit with critics and viewers alike, with many people sharing their optimistic suggestions online.

One fan wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: “I too watched it all in 3 days. It was addictive. Definitely one of the best for 2025. Will there be a S2? Quelle suspense.” (sic) 

“Really enjoyed it, best show in ages,” one other individual commented, as a third agreed: “Excellent Series, highly suggest it.” 

Another viewer enthused: “One of the best shows I have seen in the past few years. Love all the characters. When I ended Season 1 – I felt let down that there isn’t a season 2 yet!” 

One more added: “Gritty storytelling and stellar performances, a gripping, character-driven masterpiece. Matthew Goode is absolutely awesome and I cannot wait for season 2. Really refreshing stuff.” 

The official Netflix synopsis for nail-biting thriller Department Q reads: “DCI Carl Morck is a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague. His razor-sharp sarcasm has made him no friends in Edinburgh Police. 

“After a shooting that leaves a young PC dead, and his partner paralysed, he finds himself exiled to the basement and the sole member of Dept. Q; a newly formed cold case unit. 

“The department is a PR stunt, there to distract the public from the failures of an under-resourced, failing police force that is glad to see the back of him. 

“But more by accident than design, Carl starts to build a gang of waifs and strays who have everything to prove. 

“So, when the stone-cold trail of a prominent civil servant who disappeared several years ago starts to heat up, Carl is back doing what he does best – rattling cages and refusing to take no for an answer.”

All episodes of Department Q can be found to stream now, completely on Netflix.