Let's be real: when you heard that the guys behind Sherlock were doing a vampire show, you probably expected a witty, slightly arrogant lead and a lot of mind games. You got that. But the dracula tv series cast ended up being something much weirder and, honestly, more polarizing than anyone anticipated.
It wasn't just another remake.
The 2020 BBC/Netflix miniseries didn't just cast a guy in a cape; it attempted to reinvent the Gothic wheel by smashing together high-concept horror and campy British humor. Some people loved it. Others? Well, let’s just say the third episode remains a "touchy" subject on Reddit even years later. But if we’re looking at the raw talent on screen, the casting was undeniably inspired.
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Claes Bang and the "Sexy But Also Gross" Vibe
Finding a new Dracula is a nightmare for any casting director. How do you follow Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, or Gary Oldman without looking like a cheap imitation? Enter Claes Bang. Before this, he was mostly known for the Swedish film The Square, but the moment he stepped out of a wolf carcass—completely naked and covered in gore—he claimed the role.
He's tall. Intimidating. He has this smile that feels like a threat.
Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, the creators, talked a lot about how they wanted a Dracula who was "the hero of his own story." Bang plays him with a predatory charisma that makes you forget he’s a literal parasite. He’s funny, too. "I’m a Hyde Park of a man," he quips at one point, and you almost want to laugh along until you remember he’s probably going to eat the person he’s talking to.
One of the most effective things about Bang’s performance is how he handles the aging process. In the first episode, we see him as a withered, ancient husk, looking more like a raisin than a nobleman. As he drains Jonathan Harker, he literally sucks the youth out of him. The transition from the decrepit creature to the dapper aristocrat is some of the best physical acting in recent horror history. He manages to stay scary even when he’s being "charming," which is a hard line to walk.
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The Van Helsing We Didn't Expect
If Claes Bang is the heart of the show, Dolly Wells is the soul. Or maybe the brain?
Basically, she’s incredible.
She plays Sister Agatha Van Helsing, an "atheist nun" who has more interest in the science of vampires than the theology of the church. This was a massive departure from the source material. In Bram Stoker's novel, Sister Agatha is a minor character who nurses Jonathan Harker back to health. Here, she’s a gender-swapped version of Abraham Van Helsing, and it's a stroke of genius.
Wells plays the role with a sharp, dry wit that matches Dracula’s energy perfectly. Their verbal sparring is the highlight of the series. While most characters are screaming in terror, Agatha is leaning in, asking Dracula why he’s afraid of crosses if he doesn't believe in God. She treats him like a particularly interesting lab rat.
Then, of course, the show pulls its biggest stunt: the time skip.
In the final episode, Wells returns as Zoe Van Helsing, a descendant of Agatha living in modern-day England. This is where the dracula tv series cast really had to work overtime to sell a plot that was, frankly, a bit all over the place. Zoe is different—more clinical, less overtly "fun" than Agatha—but Wells keeps that core thread of Van Helsing curiosity alive. It’s a testament to her acting that she could make us care about a modern scientist when we were all still mourning the loss of the witty nun from 1897.
Supporting Players: The Meat (Literally)
Beyond the two leads, the series is packed with British character actors you’ve definitely seen before but maybe can't quite name.
- John Heffernan as Jonathan Harker: Usually, Harker is a bit of a bore. He’s the "wet blanket" of the book. Heffernan, however, delivers a harrowing performance as a man being slowly deleted by a monster. His makeup in the later stages of the first episode is genuinely repulsive—gray, flaking skin and sunken eyes. He sells the tragedy of a man who is legally dead but still conscious.
- Morfydd Clark as Mina Murray: Long before she was Galadriel in The Rings of Power, Clark was here playing Mina. Honestly? She was underused. She has a few great moments, especially when she’s confronting a "undead" Jonathan, but the script spends way more time on the Dracula/Agatha dynamic.
- Sacha Dhawan as Dr. Sharma: Known for playing the Master in Doctor Who, Dhawan pops up in the second episode (the one on the ship, The Demeter). He’s great, but like many characters on that boat, he’s basically there to be a high-quality snack for the Count.
- Mark Gatiss as Frank Renfield: Yes, the co-creator cast himself. In the third episode, he plays Dracula's lawyer, a sleazy, modern take on the Renfield character. It’s very "on the nose," but Gatiss clearly has a blast playing a guy who is utterly unfazed by his boss’s blood-drinking habits.
Why the Second Episode is the Casting MVP
A lot of fans argue that the second episode, Blood Vessel, is the strongest of the three. It’s essentially an Agatha Christie mystery on a boat, but with a vampire. The dracula tv series cast expands here to include a bunch of "passengers" like Lord Ruthven (Patrick Walshe McBride) and the Duchess Valeria (Catherine Schell).
This episode works because it treats the cast like a buffet.
Each character represents a different "flavor" for Dracula. He doesn't just kill them; he explores them. We see Jonathan Aris (another Sherlock alum) as the Captain, trying to maintain order while his crew disappears one by one. The tension is built on the performances of these secondary actors who have to convince us they are terrified of a man they’ve been eating dinner with for three days.
The Lucy Westenra Problem
We have to talk about Lydia West.
She plays Lucy Westenra in the third episode, and it’s a weird one. In this version, Lucy is a shallow, death-obsessed socialite who finds Dracula "fascinating" rather than frightening. West is a fantastic actress—if you haven't seen Years and Years or It’s a Sin, go watch them now—but the script for the finale does her dirty.
The idea was to show a "modern" victim who welcomes the darkness, but it feels disconnected from the Gothic weight of the first two episodes. Still, West’s performance during the "cremation" scene is haunting. Even with a script that went off the rails, the actors stayed committed to the bit.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're looking back at the 2020 Dracula, there are a few things to take away from how this cast was put together.
- Chemistry is King: The show lives and dies on Bang and Wells. If you’re a creator, find your "binary stars" first. Everything else is secondary.
- Physicality Matters: Bang didn't just say the lines; he inhabited the creature. His height, the way he moved, and the "shark-like" fangs (which were designed to be seen only when he smiled) made the character.
- Don't Fear the Gender Swap: Dolly Wells as Van Helsing is arguably the best part of the show. It proves that established lore can be bent if the actor brings enough gravity to the role.
The dracula tv series cast succeeded in making us talk about a story that has been told a thousand times before. Even if you hated the ending—and many, many people did—it’s hard to deny that the people on screen were giving it their absolute all. If you’re planning a rewatch, try to focus on the small details: the way Bang’s accent shifts, the stillness in Wells’ eyes, and the sheer gross-out factor of Heffernan’s makeup. It’s a masterclass in how to perform through the weirdness.
Next Steps for You: To get the most out of the series, watch the first two episodes back-to-back as a self-contained movie. Many fans find that treating the third episode as a "bonus" or a separate entity makes the overall experience much more satisfying. You can also check out the behind-the-scenes featurettes on BBC iPlayer or Netflix to see Claes Bang's transformation process, which took hours of prosthetics every day.