2024 casting announced for 2:22 A Ghost Story

Casting has been announced for edge-of-your-seat, supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story.

Vera Chok (Hollyoaks, Cobra) will play Lauren, Jay McGuiness (The Wanted, BIG! The  Musical, Rip It Up) will play Ben, Fiona Wade (Emmerdale, Silent Witness) will play Jenny, and George Rainsford (Call the Midwife, Casualty) will play Sam. 

Written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea  Poltergeist, and directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr; 2:22 is an adrenaline-filled  night where secrets emerge and ghosts may, or may not, appear. Danny said: “I continue to  be blown away by the success of this play. It demonstrates a huge appetite and curiosity for  all things paranormal. This fabulous cast for the 2024 leg of the tour will bring their own  energy to these characters, telling the story anew for audiences across the UK. It’s always  exciting to see the play come to life again in this way. It’s such a fun night out, and if chills  give you thrills you’re in for a treat.” 

Vera Chok (who will play Lauren) said: ‘Theatre brings me such joy, and I’m raring to get back  on stage, and what a show to come back with! It’s going to be so fun to share 2:22, an  absolute rollercoaster ride of a show, with audiences across the UK. Laughs, tension, and  jump-out-ofyour-seat scary – it’s going to be a Good Night Out with plenty to talk about over a  bevvy after. Can’t wait to get in the room with the stellar team!’ 

Jay McGuinness (who will play Ben) said, ‘I went to see the play in London with Cheryl, Jake, Louise, and Scott, and immediately it was something I wanted to be a part of. Can’t wait to get stuck into this role and spend some time spooking theatres all around the UK.! 

George Rainsford (who will play Sam) said, ‘I can’t wait to join the cast of 2:22 A Ghost Story, working with an amazing cast and crew. I am huge fan of Danny Robins’ script, it’s such a fun and thrilling night at the theatre and I look forward to spooking audiences up and down the country… everyone enjoys to be a little scared sometimes, right??’  

Fiona Wade (who will play Jenny) said, “I am so excited to be joining the cast of 2.22 A Ghost  Story. Being a part of this thrilling and brilliant play is an absolute dream. I’ve been a huge fan of Danny Robins for a while now so this is a part and an opportunity I cannot wait to get started on. I feel blessed and honoured to be joining such an amazing team!” 

What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth? “There’s something in our house. I hear it every night, at the same time”. 

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They  argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead  really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening,  and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and then they’ll know. 

Previous cast in video

Vera Chok 

Vera (she/they) was most recently seen on screen as series regular Honour Chen-Williams, head  of the first ever East Asian family in a UK continuing drama (Hollyoaks, Channel 4). Further  television credits include: Shen in Chimerica (Channel 4); Penelope in Chewing Gum (Channel 4); Maria in Cobra (Sky); Shen in Fortitude 3 (Sky). Theatre includes: Burnt at the Stake, or The Whole of the Truth (Shakespeare’s Globe); Winter’s Tale and Harlequinade (Garrick Theatre); Chimerica (Almeida and West End transfer); The Hard Problem and World of Extreme Happiness (National Theatre); Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); L’Etranger (Coronet); The Paper Man (European tour). Radio includes: Inspector Hong in Red Mandarin Dress (BBC 4); Anh in Brief Lives (BBC 4); Ming Ming in Rhinoceros in Love (BBC 3); and Nieu in Dostoevsky and the Chickens (BBC 3) for which they were nominated for Best Debut Performance in an Audio Drama. Vera played the lead in award-winning independent feature film, Dream Agency, produced by Forest Fringe, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022.  

Jay McGuinness 

Jay McGuiness is best known as a vocalist in the boy band The Wanted. Their debut single, “All  Time Low,” hit the No. 1 spot on the U.K. singles chart and the band went on to have a further 2  No. 1 singles and 5 Top 10 singles including the global hit ‘Glad You Came’. The Wanted toured the world notching up hit after hit appearing on the biggest TV shows and winning awards aplenty.  

In 2021, they reformed, releasing their greatest hits album, Most Wanted, and embarked on a 12 date UK arena tour in the spring of 2022. Jay has a song and dance background, starting with dance classes in his early teens, Jay later attended The Midlands academy of Dance and Drama in Nottingham, close to his home town of Newark.  

After taking a break from The Wanted in 2013, Jay was confirmed as a celebrity contestant in  Strictly Come Dancing 2015 and was partnered with professional dancer Aliona Vilani. The couple stole the public’s hearts with their graceful and energetic routines, becoming the runaway series  winners and gaining the coveted Glitterball trophy. Their now infamous Jive to the music from Pulp Fiction has become the show’s most watched routine ever amassing over 8 million hits on You  Tube. The routine was also voted Strictly’s Best Ever dance by BBC Strictly viewers in December 2020. 

In 2016, Jay starred in the musical version of the Tom Hanks movie ‘Big! in Dublin playing the lead  role of Josh Baskin. Jay reprised the role in 2019 in the West End at the Dominion Theatre to rave  reviews. In 2020, Jay again took the lead role of Sam in the West End production of Sleepless, A Musical Romance at London’s Troubadour theatre based on the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Jay’s  other theatre work includes starring in Rip It Up, a 60’s song and dance show at London’s Garrick Theatre and most recently taking the lead role of Bob Wallace in the touring production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas in 2022. In May 2023, Jay announced that he was now adding yet another string to his bow as a published author. His debut fantasy novel ‘Blood Flowers’, published worldwide by Scholastic, is slated for release in February 2024. Jay has also done his fair share of TV work competing in (and winning) a celebrity version of the Channel 4 show, Hunted, raising money for Stand Up To Cancer alongside one of his former band mates. Earlier this year, Jay took part in Richard Osman’s House of Games where he again won the weekly battle to take the champion’s trophy. Jay has also presented regular features for BBC’s The One Show fronting films on topics as diverse as Music education in schools and Veganism.  

George Rainsford 

George Rainsford is most known for playing series regular Ethan Hardy in Casualty for BBC1, for which he won the Inside Soap Award Best Drama Star 2017. He has also been nominated for both National Television Awards and TV Choice Awards for Best Actor on several occasions. Other Television credits include Holby City (BBC), Jimmy (Semi Regular) in two series of Call the Midwife (BBC), Law & Order UK (ITV), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (ITV), Luke Boyd (Semi Regular) in Waking the Dead (BBC) & JJ Bell (Semi Regular) in Doctors (BBC). Film credits include The Monkey’s Paw, Waiting for Dawn, Wild Target and Souvenirs. Theatre credits include Wish You Were Dead, UK Tour, Love, Love, Love and The Changing Room at the Royal Court, All’s Well That Ends Well (*Ian Charleson Award Commendation) and Chatroom / Citizenship at the Royal  National Theatre, Roald Dahl’s Twisted Tales for the Lyric Hammersmith / Liverpool Playhouse, Days of Significance for the RSC, The Man and Men Without Shadows at the Finborough Theatre, Carrot/Playlist and Miles to Go at Latitude Festival, Polar Bear at the Birmingham Rep, The Three Musketeers at the Bristol Old Vic and The 24 Hour Plays at the Old Vic. Fiona Wade Fiona Wade is a talented and accomplished actress, widely recognised for her remarkable contributions to  British television. With a career spanning over two decades, Fiona has become a household name in the UK. She is best known for her role as Priya Sharma in the long-running and beloved soap opera “Emmerdale”.  

Fiona Wade 

Fiona has also showcased her talent on various other television programs, including appearances on popular shows such as; “Grange Hill”, “Where the Heart Is” and “Waterloo Road”. Danny Robins Danny Robins is an award-winning writer and journalist. He created The Battersea Poltergeist, an 8-part podcast that combined drama and documentary to tell a real-life ghost story, starring Toby Jones and Dafne Keen. It became a global phenomenon – the #1 Drama Podcast  across the whole world, including the US, and sparked a bidding war for the TV rights. Danny is now adapting it for TV with Hollywood producers Blumhouse. The series recently won the Gold Award for Best Serialised Podcast at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards. Danny’s first stage play, Rudy’s Rare Records, co-commissioned by Birmingham Rep and Hackney Empire was a critical and commercial success (“A wonderful funny, humane play.” The Daily Telegraph). The follow up was the acclaimed End of the Pier at London’s Park Theatre (“A tour de force” Sunday  Times) His debut radio drama The Most Wanted Man in Sweden was nominated for the Writers’ Guild’s Tinniswood Award. He has created and written various shows for TV and radio, including the Bafta-nominated hit series Young Dracula, Rudy’s Rare Records and The Cold Swedish Winter. He also presented the podcast series Haunted. His new 15 part podcast series, Uncanny, for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 4, exploring real-life ghost stories, launched on October 20th. “A  contemporary Van Helsing… like Bram Stoker’s character, he’s a paranormal hunting polymath…”  Sunday Times