| Name | Character | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| David Morrissey | DCS Ian St Clair | 12 |
| Lesley Manville | Julie Jackson | 12 |
| Philip Jackson | Mickey Sparrow | 12 |
| Lorraine Ashbourne | Daphne Sparrow | 12 |
| Claire Rushbrook | Cathy Rowley | 7 |
| Monica Dolan | Ann Branson | 6 |
| Stephen Dillane | Roy Branson | 6 |
| Terence Maynard | DS Cleaver | 6 |
| Adeel Akhtar | Andy Fisher | 6 |
| Aisling Loftus | Sandy Waters | 6 |
| Robert Emms | Samuel Warner | 6 |
| Kevin Doyle | Fred Rowley | 6 |
| Robert Glenister | DI Kevin Salisbury | 6 |
| David Harewood | Denis Bottomley | 6 |
| Christine Bottomley | Rachel Crossley | 6 |
| Adam Hugill | Scott Rowley | 6 |
| Andrea Lowe | DI Taylor | 6 |
| Michael Balogun | Harry Summers | 6 |
| Bally Gill | Neel Fisher | 5 |
| Phaldut Sharma | Chief Constable Fraser | 4 |
| Sean Gilder | Dean Simmons | 4 |
| Pip Torrens | Commissioner Charles Dawes | 3 |
| Mark Addy | Ron St Clair | 3 |
| Joanne Froggatt | Sarah Vincent | 3 |
| Clare Holman | Helen St Clair | 3 |
| Mark Frost | Martin St Clair | 3 |
| Don Gilet | Jacob Harris | 2 |
| George Harrison | Nikko | 1 |
| Christopher Fairbank | Bill Raggett | 1 |
| Alun Armstrong | Gary Jackson | 1 |
| Chanel Cresswell | Rosie Jackson | 1 |
| Lindsay Duncan | Jennifer Hale | 1 |
| Robert Lindsay | Franklin Warner | 1 |
| Stephen Tompkinson | Warnock | 1 |
| Sam Buchanan | Nicky Branson | 1 |
| Jennifer Hennessy | Chief Constable | 1 |
| Stephen Whitfield | Cleaner Thomas | 1 |