Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue Cast List: Meet the Killer Lineup Everyone’s Talking About

BBC has picked up Anthony Horowitz's six-part thriller Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, which already bowed in the US earlier this year on MGM+. It lands in the UK today on BBC One and iPlayer. The premise is a pulpy hook with a nasty little twist, and yes, the title is exactly what it sounds like.

What is it?

A small plane carrying a handful of passengers, crew, and the pilot goes down in the Mexican jungle. All the bodies are recovered and carted off to a morgue. Then the bombshell: only one person actually died in the crash. Everyone else was killed afterward, each in a different way. The series plays out in flashback, following the survivors as they slog through heat, dwindling supplies, and jungle hazards — and turn on each other. It gets increasingly tight and tense as people are picked off one by one, building to a final reveal designed to drop your jaw.

"Kevin is a bit of a mystery for a while because he wants to be. We find that he's running from a divorce and from a lot of disappointment, so he doesn't share much but we find out a lot more about him as the show progresses."

When and where to watch (UK)

Today on BBC One and iPlayer (Saturday 27 September). In the US, it premiered earlier this year on MGM+.

The cast

• Eric McCormack as Kevin Anderson — Kevin is a former doctor now selling medical supplies, and he keeps his cards very close to the vest. He is actively running from a messy divorce and a pile of disappointments. You know McCormack from Will & Grace, plus Travelers, Perception, Slasher, and The Other Black Girl.

• David Ajala as Zack — Zack works in insurance and is one of the few who stays level-headed after the crash. Ajala is familiar from Supergirl, Star Trek: Discovery, Falling Water, Nightflyers, The Ready Room, and The Jetty.

• Lydia Wilson as Sonja Blair — Sonja is a British photographer who seems unusually at home in the jungle compared to the others, but she is clearly wrestling with her own demons. Wilson has appeared in Ripper Street, Flack, and The Swarm, alongside a lot of stage work.

• Jan Le as Amy Maclean — Amy is a wealthy heiress traveling with her new husband, and she does not cope well with the crash. She rushed into the marriage with someone she barely knows, which is not exactly a stress-free starting point. You might have seen Le in EastEnders, Grace, The Capture, DI Ray, and Atlanta.

• Adam Long as Dan Maclean — Dan just married Amy, and it quickly becomes obvious these two are strangers who tied the knot on fast-forward. Long is known for Happy Valley, Bancroft, The Bay, Wolfe, and Masters of the Air.

• Siobhan McSweeney as Lisa Davies — Lisa is traveling with her husband; they are proud, self-defined business owners who even offer an extra discount if you have a Trump sticker on your car. They know exactly who they are and what they believe. McSweeney is best known from Derry Girls, and she recently hosted The Traitors Ireland. Other credits include Amandaland, Holding, and Extraordinary.

• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Travis Davies — Travis, Lisa's husband, comes from the American South, and the couple owns a few hotels. They see themselves as self-made and resilient. Ólafsson's screen work includes Severance, Somebody Somewhere, Trapped, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, plus voice roles in Ice Age, Kung Fu Panda, and Lilo & Stitch.

• Peter Gadiot as Carlos García Méndez — Carlos is another passenger: a professional wrestler who also knows his way around a toolbox. Gadiot has popped up in Queen of the South, Yellowjackets, Quantum Leap, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Silo, and Matador.

• Carolina Guerra as Cora De León — Passenger Cora De León. (File this one under: likely important, minimal details by design.)

• Deborah Ayorinde as Claire Sundiata — Claire Sundiata is aboard, and that is all you are getting without spoilers.

• Hari Dhillon as David Malik — David Malik rounds out the passenger list we are meant to keep an eye on.

If you like closed-circle mysteries with a modern, survival-thriller edge — and you do not mind a show that says the quiet part out loud — this is Horowitz doing exactly that. The setup is outrageous. The execution leans claustrophobic. And the ending promises a swing-for-the-fences reveal.