Line of Duty cast: Who is Prasanna Puwanarajah and what else has he been in?

21 March 2021, 17:30

Prasanna Puwanarajah is starring in Line of Duty. Picture: ITV/BBC

Was Prasanna Puwanarajah in Doctor Foster and is he married? Here's what we know about the new Line of Duty actor...

Line of Duty fans rejoice because the sixth season of the BBC crime drama is finally hitting out screens.

After months of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) are back.

And there’s also a new actor joining the star-studded line up in the form of Prasanna Puwanarajah.

So, who is Prasanna and who did he play in Doctor Foster?

Line of Duty | Series 6 | Trailer

How old is Prasanna Puwanarajah?

Prasanna Puwanarajah was born on June 28th 1982, making him 38-years-old.

His parents - a psychiatrist and a dentist - both moved to the UK from Sri Lanka.

Despite loving drama from a young age, Prasanna studied medicine at the University of Oxford.

He then specialised in ear, nose and throats at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, as well as working abroad for charity Medecins du Monde.

After three years working for the NHS, Prasanna decided to pursue his passion for acting.

The actor previously told The Resident: "There wasn’t really a point when I wanted to switch.

"I needed to take a break from working in the NHS because I spent two very intense years working straight out of medical school and I needed to take a bit of time away just to catch my breath."

What else has Prasanna Puwanarajah been in?

After leaving medicine behind, he made his acting and writing debut with the theatre play, Nightwatchman, at the National Theatre in 2011.

Prasanna Puwanarajah played James in Doctor Foster. Picture: BBC

TV lovers will also recognise him from BBC drama series Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned, where he played Gemma’s lover James.

Before that, he appeared in the legal drama Silk as Dr Malik as well as medical drama Critical, which was written by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio.

He has also starred opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Sky series Patrick Melrose, with other credits including You, Me And The Apocalypse and BBC drama series Mum.