Stephen Graham reveals why Nocturne role gave a chance to portray someone he would "never play"

After an explosive last year being in the spotlight as one of many talented individuals at the helm of Netflix's Adolescence, Stephen Graham is taking on a very different kind of role in Apple TV thriller Nocturne.

Starring alongside Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Rory Culkin, Graham stars in the 10-parter as serial killer Jurek Walter, who is described as "diabolically cunning" and over the course of the chilling series, starts to put a small town in western Pennsylvania under attack.

Having played all manner of characters over the years, fans of Graham's will certainly be left intrigued by this new role of his, not least because it may very well be his most unsettling to date.

But what did Jurek Walter provide in a role that the actor had perhaps never experienced before? Answering that question in an exclusive chat with Radio Times, Graham said: "Lots of different things, to be honest with you.

"First, I read the script and I just thought what a wonderful opportunity it was to play a character like this because, as you've said, I don't normally get these chances or these opportunities."

He went on: "So it was a really, really great chance to kind of play a man that I would never ever play. It was all there in the script. That's your starting point. So I think that was basically it, really. I jumped at the chance.

"It's Tim Van Patten as well, who I've worked with for years. I worked with Tim first on Boardwalk Empire so when he asked me to do it, I'll be honest – without reading the script, I said yeah. I wouldn't advise that! And then I read the script and I was in a million and one per cent."

The new role is the first time that Graham has also played a serial killer, a marked turn away from his starring parts in This Is England, Boiling Point, Line of Duty and more recently, A Thousand Blows.

Graham has gone on to enjoy a very successful year, with Adolescence – the series he starred in, but co-created and co-wrote with Jack Thorne – revelling in a lengthy awards run, with Graham himself picking up a BAFTA, Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance alone.

Read more:

• Top Boy legend Ashley Walters reveals who really killed Sully in shocking twist
• Why are we obsessed with shows about cheating? Adultery stars explain – and why new series shines a different light

The series was also produced by his production company, Matriarch Productions, which he founded with his wife and fellow actor Hannah Walters. And it turns out that Walters actually also helped Graham prepare for his role in Nocturne.

When speaking to Radio Times about how he went about getting into the mind of a serial killer for the role, Graham revealed: "Hannah's obsessed with serial killers, true life documentaries and crime dramas. So we sat on the couch for about two weeks, and she kept going, 'Right, you've got to watch this one. This one's brilliant. This one's fantastic. Wait till you see this one’."

Graham joked and said: "It was nice to sit with Hannah and watch all these serial killers. She's probably written a letter to one or two of them fellas, I reckon on a sly, if I'm honest!"

He went on: "All of those things just go into your subconscious without even noticing it. When you're building the character, you're influenced by all these different things. Be that art, paintings, literature, music, whatever. You're influenced by all of these things. So it was a wonderful thing."

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Nocturne is available to watch on Apple TV from Friday 30 October 2026. You can sign up to Apple TV for a seven-day free trial.

Add Nocturne to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews listen to The Radio Times Podcast.