PETER DAVISON AND DOMINIC ROWAN JOIN SEASON 3 CAST OF BBC AMERICA's "LAW & ORDER: UK"

As new season premieres this Fall, cast change sees former Doctor Who stars reunited

As Law & Order: UK returns to BBC AMERICA screens for its thirteen-part third season this Summer, the critically acclaimed drama, based on Dick Wolf's award-winning long-running crime franchise, brings some new and some familiar faces to the criminal investigation team, as well as some hard-hitting storylines. Law & Order: UK premieres on Wednesday, August 17th at 9pm ET/PT.

The critically acclaimed cast, which includes Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber and Freema Ageyman, now have a tough new ally in their fight for justice in the form of Senior Crown Prosecutor, Jake Thorne - a gifted and uncompromising criminal prosecutor - played by Dominic Rowan (Catwalk Dogs, The Family Man).

Peter Davison, (Doctor Who, Unforgiven, The Last Detective) is Henry Sharpe, taking over the job of Director of the Crown Prosecution Service. Henry is a down to earth pragmatist and a great boss who has worked with Jake Thorne before.

The new season sees prosecution team Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) and Jake Thorne (Dominic Rowan) struggle to get to the truth behind a missing toddler and the brutal murder of a much loved couple asleep in their new home.

At the same time, Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) investigate a hospital department with more than its fair share of untimely deaths, track down a rampaging gunman and discover the events that led to an innocent woman being gunned down in her own home - events that have serious consequences for the team.

Lead writer Emilia di Girolamo says of the new characters: "Jake is unashamedly a prosecutor, never afraid to go for the jugular in the courtroom. With his working class roots, he had to fight hard to get where he is, but he's fiercely intelligent and brilliant at his job. Jake's a bit of a player and if a gorgeous female barrister crosses his path you can bet they've got history! Brilliantly played by Dominic Rowan, Jake's a dark horse who keeps his private life very much to himself and keeps Alesha guessing, but they make a great team.

"Henry Sharpe, (Peter Davison) rules his team with a firm but fair hand. Henry has a very clear understanding of the psychology of offending behavior and the foundations, pressures and lifestyle choices that lead to a life of crime. He takes a very broad view when looking at a case but ultimately he always acts in the public interest, a voice for the victim, and does what's best for the public, not the offender. I think Henry brings real warmth to the show and his history with Jake - as his mentor - makes him a bit of a father figure."

Cast & Crew

DS Ronnie Brooks Bradley Walsh

DS Matt Devlin Jamie Bamber

DI Natalie Chandler Harriet Walter

Jacob Thorne Dominic Rowan

Alesha Phillips Freema Agyeman

Henry Sharpe Peter Davison

Executive Producers Andrew Woodhead, Stephen Garrett, Jane Featherstone, Dick Wolf

Producer Richard Stokes

Lead writer/Co-Producer Emilia di Girolamo

Directors M.T. Adler, Julian Holmes, Mat King, Mark Everest, Andy Goddard

Writers Debbie O'Malley, Nick Hicks-Beach, Richard Stokes,

It is a Kudos/Wolf Films/NBC Universal Production.