Game of Thrones and Derry Girls stars unite for new play Expecting

Game of Thrones stars John Bradley and Joe Dempsie are joining Derry Girls favourite Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and Harry Potter actress Katie Leung for new comedy Expecting. The play will have its world premiere at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London, from 30 January to 27 March 2027.

John and Joe will be familiar to Game of Thrones viewers as Samwell Tarly and Gendry. Their latest project brings them into a much more recognisable dilemma, following two couples confronting the question of whether there is ever a right time to have children.

Katie plays Zoey, who is weighing up having a baby with her partner Ethan, played by Joe. They have other parts of their lives mapped out, but becoming parents presents a decision with consequences neither can neatly plan around.

Zoey’s younger sister Trish, played by Jamie-Lee, already has two children. John plays her new boyfriend Matt, completing a cast whose characters approach relationships and family life from different starting points.

The story explores the gap between the lives people imagined for themselves and what they actually want now. Career ambitions, relationships and the expectations surrounding adulthood all feed into the couples’ choices about their futures.

Jamie-Lee is best known for playing Michelle in Derry Girls and also starred in prison drama Screw. Katie played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, while John’s television credits include 3 Body Problem and Joe previously played Chris in Skins.

Expecting is written by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola, the duo behind Straight, and directed by Andy Sandberg. It forms part of Riverside Studios’ 2026/27 Mainstage Season, which also includes Affluenza and Sacrilegious.