Is there anything magnificent Keeley Hawes can’t do? The London-born actor has an IMDB page that reads like a line-up of the best of British drama. From her Bafta-nominated turn in Line Of Duty to her starring roles in the BBC’s Bodyguard (the UK’s most-watched drama since current records began) and scene-stealing supporting roles in Mrs Wilson and The Missing, Hawes is one of the most in-demand British actors, and one that never shies away from playing complex and conflicted women, bringing intelligence and nuance to every role. 

And Hawes is showing no signs of slowing down. 

In February of this year, ITV announced a new real-life drama, Stonehouse, which will star Hawes and her IRL husband, Matthew Macfadyen, as an on-screen husband and wife. Macfadyen (Quiz, Succession) will play John Stonehouse with Hawes as his wife, Barbara. The drama, centring around the life and times of disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse, is to be dramatised for ITV by acclaimed writer John Preston.

Then there’s the highly anticipated drama Crossfire, which has already begun filming. It’s set to be a major new three-part BBC One show, starring Hawes, from the makers of the brilliant The Salisbury Poisonings and created and written by Louise Doughty (author of Apple Tree Yard) – so expectations are high. 

But before these hit our screens, prepare to be spooked by The Midwich Cuckoos, Hawes’ first venture into the paranormal. 

So, if you can’t get enough of Keeley Hawes, we’ve selected some of her standout roles for you to get stuck in to. Enjoy! 

The Midwich Cuckoos sees a small town rocked by a supernatural event and the arrival of strange, unsettling children who may have dark plans for their new parents.

Based on John Wyndham’s novel of the same name, this Sky Original is set in Midwich, a small picture-perfect English commuter town. But after a total blackout occurs and the historic town is cut off from the rest of the world, it quickly becomes clear that all is not as it seems. 

Hawes plays the lead role of Dr Susannah Zellaby alongside Synnøve Karlsen, who will appear as Hawes’ onscreen daughter, Cassie.

The Midwich Cuckoos airs on Sky Max and NOW on 2 June 2022. 

​​Russell T Davies’ acclaimed series It’s a Sin had people talking for a multitude of reasons (the incredible performances from the ensemble cast, the way it brought attention to the HIV and Aids crisis, the treatment of gay men in the 80s and that heart-rending scene with fan favourite Colin), but it was the final episode when Hawes stole the show.

Playing Valarie Tozer, mum to Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Hawes left viewers speechless during an emotional final episode scene at the hospital where she is unable to accept her son is dying, and that unforgettable conversation with Jill Baxter (played by Lydia West). 

Watch It’s a Sin on 4OD

Finding Alice stars Hawes alongside legends Joanna Lumley and Nigel Havers in a “darkly comic tale of a grief-stricken wife”. The plot revolves around Alice, played by Hawes, whose husband of 20 years dies suddenly. When he does, she’s plunged into a tsunami of sorrow, but in the midst of it all, she uncovers a disturbing secret.

Speaking about the show, Hawes told the BBC: “As well as the emotion, there is so much light… There is a gallows humour. People naturally go towards the lighter aspects, it helps you.”

Watch Finding Alice on ITV Hub

Hawes plays Louisa Durrell in this much-loved period drama. Set in the 1930s, The Durrells is loosely based on Gerald Durrell’s three autobiographical books about his family’s time living on the Greek island of Corfu from 1935–1939. It ran for four seasons on ITV from 3 April 2016 to May 2019 and also starred the brilliant Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown). 

Watch The Durrells on ITV Hub

A record-breaking political thriller that became the UK’s most-watched drama series across all channels since current records began in 2002, the BBC iPlayer’s most successful box set ever and another Jed Mercurio juggernaut – suffice to say that viewers really liked the slick and sexy Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden and Hawes. 

The show’s synopsis says: “Set in and around the corridors of power, Bodyguard tells the fictional story of David Budd (Madden), a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a specialist protection officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch (RaSP) of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.”

Hawes plays The Rt Honourable Julia Montague MP, who Budd is charged with keeping safe, but things get complicated in true rollercoaster Mercurio fashion. 

Hawes really nails the part of the politician, however, and had to hone her public speaking for the role. “I watched an awful lot of politicians,” she says. “There’s a very particular way of giving speeches, and actually speaking to people and giving interviews that a lot of politicians have in common. Many don’t seem to have conversations with people – they just keep telling you their point of view.” Bang on, Keeley. 

Watch Bodyguard on Netflix 

Season two of The Missing had a lot to live up to, but Hawes is outstanding as bereaved mother Gemma Webster, whose daughter Alice goes missing and then turns up years later in the most bizarre circumstances. And then everything works out well, right? Not so fast. Captain Sam Webster (David Morrissey) has his doubts, and as the truth emerges, it pulls the Webster family further apart. 

Tchéky Karyo plays the legendary detective Julien Baptiste, who, you guessed it, just can’t leave go until this is solved. 

Watch The Missing season one and two on Netflix 

In my humble opinion, seasons two and three of Line Of Duty were the best, and that is in no small part down to Hawes and her chilling performance as the serpentine and divisive Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton. Chilling at times, and always complex, Hawes gave a star turn as one of the most polarising characters in recent TV history, and we loved every minute of it. Even amid the stellar cast and puzzling Jed Mercurio plotlines, it’s the devious and tragic Denton that you remember most from this era of Line Of Duty. The performance got her a Bafta TV Award nomination for Best Actress.

Watch Line Of Duty on BBC iPlayer

Mrs. Wilson is British drama at its best. 

Based on an incredible true story that played out in London between the 1940s and 1960s and India in the 1930s, it stars the superb Ruth Wilson (playing her own grandmother) and Hawes (as Dorothy Wick) in a powerful three-part drama.

The series follows Alison Wilson, who believes she is in a happy marriage until her polygamist husband, Alec, dies and a woman turns up on the doorstep claiming that she is the real Mrs. Wilson. From there on, it’s a winding path of discovery and disturbing secrets along the way as Wilson tries to find out the truth. 

Iain Glen, Fiona Shaw and Anupam Kher also star, and this role earned Hawes another Bafta TV nomination. 

Watch Mrs. Wilson on Netflix 

Hawes and Rhianne Barreto star in this chilling real-life crime drama about the disappearance of Banaz Mahmod. When young Banaz disappears from London in 2006, DCI Goode (Hawes) is called in to investigate and uncovers a trail of missed opportunities. The two-part crime drama came out in 2020 and brought attention to the topic of so-called honour killings. Mahmod, an Iraqi Kurdish woman who lived in London, was murdered on the orders of her family after she left her abusive marriage for another man.

Hawes said it was a privilege to work on the show and said “in a time when honour killings are still rife, it is critical to shine a light on such an important subject. Banaz Mahmod’s story, and DCI Goode’s subsequent investigation, is certainly one that needs to be told and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Watch Honour on ITV Hub

Images: Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage, stills courtesy of Sky, BBC, ITV