‘I’m the star of BBC’s major thriller – this was the wildest moment on set’

After starring in the first season of the globally chart-topping thriller, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Zain Iqbal’s life changed in big and small ways.

The joint Netflix and BBC adaptation of Holly Jackson’s bestselling coming-of-age trilogy easily nabbed the number one spot on the streaming giant when it first landed in 2024, raking in millions of viewers across the board.

So, it’s no surprise that the show – following the exploits of amateur school-aged detective Pip (Emma Myers) as she gets to the bottom of deadly mysteries racking the small town of Little Kilton – is back for a second outing.

In season one, Pip befriends Zain’s character, Ravi, after she decides she wants to solve the murder of Andie Bell, five years prior – a woman falsely believed to have been killed by her boyfriend (and Ravi’s brother), Sal Singh.

The duo put their investigative skills to the test – and, naturally, fall in love along the way. All in all, amid the criticisms of the diehard book fans and difficult-to-please viewers, the first season was a near-unmitigated success.

Reflecting on the (not quite life-and-death) stakes to Metro, Zain says: ‘When you’re going into something this big without knowing what you’re getting into, you feel that pressure.

‘Then you put all that hard work in, and everyone that you work with puts all that hard work in, so it’s nice to get a good reaction from it. It feels like the hard work paid off, or we’ve done justice to the book, the scripts.’

Since appearing in his breakout role, Zain has noticed a shift.

‘If I go to Covent Garden at 2pm on a Saturday, you get the occasional person trying to come up and say: “Oh, that you were great.” I’ve had it on the tube once or twice. I’ve sat in front of people reading the book, and they look up, and they realise it’s me,’ the young actor shares.

Handling the pressure

Still, with such an outspoken fanbase and all eyes on the show to see if it can repeat its success for a second time – what’s it like handling that pressure?

‘I don’t really look into it that much, because then you just put an added pressure on to yourself,’ he admits.

As for his approach, he adds: ‘I just do the work. I just make sure I know I’ve done the most I can before I step onto set, and it just gives me a freedom. I don’t really think too much about expectations or pressure, because then you’ve already lost.

‘Someone’s always got something to say, so I just keep my head down and stick with the work. And also, as an actor, your job’s to bring the character to life, it’s not for someone else to do that for you.’

The show as a whole explores several heavy and dark themes, including murder, domestic violence, drug addiction and sexual assault (the latter being a heavy focus of season two).

Especially in the first season, however, Zain appreciated how it tackled the racial prejudice his late brother Sal faced after the death of his white girlfriend.

Exploring heavy themes in this coming-of-age thriller

‘It’s so important to tell those stories and go through with it, especially to a younger audience. It opens up their minds in terms of [what happens to marginalised groups].

‘As a person of colour – I can’t personally relate [to Sal] – but I’ve seen stuff like that happen, and I think it’s important to showcase that to the viewer.;

More widely, Zain has nothing but praise for how unflinching the teen show’s portrayal of these darker subjects is.

‘I feel very lucky and very privileged, and I feel quite proud that I get to be a part of this,’ he notes.

In season two – which brought author Holly on board – we pick up with the trial of Max Hastings (Henry Ashton), who Pip discovered had raped Andie’s sister Becca and another classmate, Nat De Silva.

‘All of it is another step up,’ Zain says about what to expect. In particular, praising new star Jack Rowan’s performance, who plays Charlie Green.

‘He does a very, very good speech/monologue right at the end. There are great performances, the stories are better, and the scripts are tighter,’ he promises.

No doubt helped by Holly’s presence on set ‘almost every day’ there to show her ‘inside out knowledge’ of the storyline, while also giving ‘freedom’ to the actors to make the roles their own.

The wildest moments on set

For those who love Ravi, Zain also teases that we’ll be seeing the ‘fun side’ of this normally quiet and withdrawn character. ‘You see Ravi in his full self… and really out there in the world.’

One way is through a sick stunt the actor got to be involved in later in the season with Jude Morgan-Collie’s character, Connor, and Pip.

‘The car chase scene [in episode five] was good fun. It was me, Jude, and Emma. They closed off a road and, made us get in the car –  not made as we wanted to – they got us in a car, we had the stunt team and everything.’

It wasn’t the only intense moment of filming.

Early on, Ravi also makes a poignant speech to the townsfolk in memory of his brother – another nerve-wracking, but enjoyable, moment on set.

‘I’ve never done anything like that professionally as an actor. It was a good challenge for me. They cut it up; we lost half the speech, but I had to do a full speech in front of 130 extras.’

And, no doubt, fans will be excited to seeRavi and Pip as a couple after confessing their feelings for each other at the end of season one.

‘It was a challenge carrying on the relationship with Pip and finding ways to make that interesting instead of making it stale. It’s always quite difficult to make a relationship interesting through all these episodes,’ he says, crediting co-star Emma as being ‘easy to work with.’

He continued: ‘She’s very professional, and it was easier in season two. It’s like coming back after a long summer break of school, you just get back into it, and you know how the other person works.’

All in all, if the second season proves to be a success, then Zain hopes they’ll jump into the third book, aka his favourite.

‘Book three, you’re straight in, and it stays on that level right until the end,’ he raves.

His industry inspirations

Still at the very start of his career, Zain pays homage to the actors who have paved a path for him in the industry, like Oscar-winning Riz Ahmed.

‘He’s a top, top actor, and he looks like me. When you’re coming into this, you’re like: “No one looks like me, can I do this, can I really get into this?” And then you see someone who looks like you, and you’re like: “Okay, he’s doing it.”

‘It gives you that push, that motivation that you know it is possible.’

Now, beyond the third season, he’s eyeing up his next move and he has a clear vision.

‘If I were being picky, I’d like to do an indie film that does a festival run, I’d like to do something quirky, weird, out of the box, not your traditional film. But right now, whatever it is, just something different, and a new challenge, that’s what excites me, that’s why I love doing this job.’

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season two is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Netflix globally.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.