Kit Harington to guest on Netflix's Criminal in first major TV role since Game of Thrones

Kit Harington will follow the likes of David Tennant and Hayley Atwell in playing a suspect who is interrogated by the show's main cast of coppers.

Exact details of Harington's character are being kept under wraps, but suffice to say his new role marks a real departure from the noble Jon Snow – and we're not just talking about Kit's haircut...

His appearance in episode two of Criminal's new four-part season will mark Harington's first major TV role since Game of Thrones drew to a close last year.

The role of Jon Snow made a star of the London-born actor, earning him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations - for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

RadioTimes.com can also exclusively reveal the three star names that will be joining Harington in the remaining episodes of Criminal’s second season.

The first episode will feature Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda, The Hollow Crown), while the third episode will see a dramatic turn from actress, writer and comedian Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe).

The fourth and final episode will see actor Kunal Nayyar in the hot seat – Nayyar is best known for portraying the awkward Raj on sitcom The Big Bang Theory, but fans of that show can expect something very different from his appearance in Criminal.

Check out a first look at the Criminal season two guest cast with some exclusive key art below:

Launched in September 2019, Criminal was created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith and features Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as series regulars.

Each episode sees a central cast of police officers interrogate a different aspect – some are innocent, some are guilty, but there's always a twist!

A second season was confirmed on the 19th August, promising "four new cases, four new suspects and one room that changes everything."

"Prepare for bold stories, some surprises, and a completely innovative take on the police procedural," the teaser read.

You can watch a first-look trailer for season two below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtHBrjgDjes

Criminal originally launched alongside three international counterparts – Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain and Criminal: Germany – each featuring their own team of officers. However, series co-creator Smith recently confirmed on Twitter that there are no immediate plans to bring back these other versions, though added that the team behind Criminal would "love to do more of the others".

Criminal returns to Netflix on 16th September 2020 – check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide