The Turkish Detective: Where have you seen the cast before and how many episodes are there?

As Istanbul-set police drama The Turkish Detective lands on BBC Two, fans are keen to know where they've seen the cast before - and how many episodes of the show are set to air. 

The Turkish Detective centres around Inspector Cetin Ikmen - a homicide detective desperately trying to solve a murder within Istanbul’s high society.

Based on the best-selling Inspector Ikmen books by Barbara Nadel, the series follows the ageing detective and his new recruit, Turkish born and British raised, Mehmet Suleyman.

Joined by fellow inspector Ayşe Farsakoğlu, the trio must navigate Turkish high society as they uncover a teenage girl's killer.

As the series continues this week, fans are curious about its all star cast and how many episodes of the series they can expect. 

Where have I seen the cast of The Turkish Detective before?

As The Turkish Detective arrived on our screens, lots of viewers noted that members of the cast looked familiar. 

It’s hardly surprising as the iconic Inspector Cetin Ikmen is played by Haluk Bilginer, a staple of British TV. Previously, he played Mehmet Osman, a taxi cab driver, in Eastenders.

Since leaving Albert Square in the eighties, Cetin has gone on to have roles in Halloween, spy drama The Veil and New Blood.

The veteran actor is the only cast member who received their big break in soaps though.

Ethan Kai also starred in Emmerdale as Kasim Sabet, before appearing in the detective drama.

Now portraying Mehmet Suleyman in The Turkish Detective, he also previously starred Killing Eve as Tony, Prime’s Carnival Row and daytime drama Doctors.

Meanwhile, Detective Ayse Farsakoglu is played by a relative newcomer to British TV: Yasemin Kay Allen.

Her biggest role was in Strike Back, a series based on a fictional British military unit which conducted high risk, secretive missions overseas.

However, Yasemin has had a long career and starred in countless Turkish dramas such as: Water and Fire and Bahar.

Alongside the trio is Uygar Tamer, who plays Inspector Cetin's wife.

Though the actress might not be a household name, she has had notable roles in Quantum of Solace, Wilder and The Teachers’ Lounge.

Meanwhile, Tarik Sanver, the team's technician in The Turkish Detective, is played by Homeland star Erol Afsin.

After appearing in the Emmy-award winning spy drama, Erol has gone on to appear in Faith, No Mercy and The Red Room.

With its stacked cast of Turkish actors, we expect even more big names to cameo in future seasons of The Turkish Detective.

How many episodes of The Turkish Detective are there?

The Turkish Detective has eight episodes set to air on BBC Two, starting on Sunday 7th July and airing on Sunday and Monday nights at 9pm after that. 

Fans who can't wait to watch the rest of the episodes can also binge the full series on BBC iPlayer right now. 

With over 25 books in Barbara Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen franchise, there are also plenty that have yet to be adapted, meaning there's plenty of scope for new seasons. 

Speaking about The Turkish Detective's first season, showrunner Ben Schiffer said, "From the moment I opened Barbara Nadel's novel, I fell in love with the unique, iconic character of Inspector Ikmen.

"A beacon of hope and humour in a dark, difficult world, I'm so delighted that he and our show, a blend of emotionally-charged mystery and family drama, has found a home at the BBC."