Dept Q star Leah Byrne looks completely different in forgotten Call the Midwife role

Netflix's brand new crime drama arrived today on the streamer, starring Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode as a detective attempting to track down the mysterious criminal who shot him in the face. After returning back to his Edinburgh police station for the first time since the attack, Carl (Goode) is tasked with setting up Department Q - a cold case unit - while he covertly tries to investigate the crime himself.

In his new team, Carl is joined by Rose - a cadet who is keen to prove herself to Carl - played by Scottish actress Leah Byrne. The actress has just a few credits under her belt, including small roles in drama Nightsleeper and Channel 4's Deadwater Fell.

However, before taking on the role of Rose, Leah appeared in a 2019 episode of Call the Midwife as Maggie Nickle - an expectant mother. With a brunette head of hair, Leah couldn't look more different in the BBC role.

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Meanwhile, in Dept. Q, Leah sports a ginger perm as rookie detective Rose. Leah isn't the only unrecognisable star in Dept Q. Matthew Goode takes on a scruffy look and a beard for his role as DCI Carl Morck.

Speaking about the drama ahead of its release, Matthew said of Carl: "He’s so aggressive and rude. I loved his sense of humour. He’s a complex character, and you get to see him warts and all."

He added that he was hooked on the character from the moment he was sent the script. "Scott could have cast anybody,” Matthew said. “When someone trusts you like that, you take it seriously. There was pressure but, as Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’”

Matthew opened up about one scene, where he needed to drive an old Ford Sierra with dodgy brakes. “Every time Scott told me to drive fast, I’d be thinking, ‘I hope it stops and I don’t plough into anyone,’” says Matthew. “Occasionally, I’d turn the car off and walk away, then I’d hear it start again and have to give it a kick.”

The series also stars The Queen's Gambit actress Chloe Pirrie as Merritt - an ambitious lawyer whose disappearance is investigated by Carl.

"Merritt’s main strength is she doesn’t feel the need to please people," Chloe said. "She’s loyal, someone you’d want on your side, but she’s also isolated herself. She uses people and doesn’t think that highly of them. She’s similar to Carl in that way."

Dept Q is now streaming on Netflix.

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