Richard Roper

Richard Roper is introduced as the very picture of easy privilege: immaculately dressed, endlessly hospitable, surrounded by yachts, villas and admiring friends. He hosts lavish parties, dispenses charm like currency, and speaks of philanthropy and business in the same breath. He is called, quietly, the worst man in the world — though nothing on the surface suggests it.

Hugh Laurie plays him without a flicker of cartoon villainy, which is precisely what makes him terrifying — the geniality never cracks to reveal menace beneath, because the geniality is the menace. Every warm smile and generous gesture feels calculated to disarm, and Laurie's total ease in the role turns hospitality itself into something to fear.