Thursday Murder Club fans in disbelief as Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star has cameo role

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Thursday Murder Club.

The Thursday Murder Club is brimming with a star-studded cast, but fans were taken aback by an unexpected cameo from a Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor.

The murder mystery comedy from author Richard Osman, which made its cinematic debut on Friday, 22 August, will be available for Netflix viewers next week on Thursday, 28 August.

The plot revolves around four retirees - Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley), and Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie) - who enjoy delving into cold cases, but things take a serious turn when they find themselves in the midst of a real-life whodunit.

Fans have been eagerly anticipating the film's release, not only because it's a Richard Osman creation, but also due to its stellar cast.

In addition to the main quartet, the film features a host of familiar faces, including David Tennant, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, and Richard E Grant.

During two scenes where the residents of Coopers Chase retirement home gather, Father Mackie makes a brief appearance and speaks up.

Viewers were left puzzled as to why Father Mackie seemed so familiar until they realised he was portrayed by none other than actor Joseph Marcell.

Best known for his role as the cynical and sarcastic butler Geoffrey Butler in Will Smith's sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the 77 year old actor's cameo certainly surprised fans.

Geoffrey was a constant presence in the Banks household that Smith moved into, featuring in the NBC hit throughout its entire run from 1990 to May 1996.

Following the end of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Marcell went on to star in numerous other major TV shows.

These included The Bill, The Bold and the Beautiful, Holby City, Ratched, Mammoth, Queenie and the 2024 dramatic reboot of The Fresh Prince, simply titled as Bel Air, where he portrays a gangster named Roman.

In 2006, Marcell also appeared in several episodes of BBC One's EastEnders as Aubrey Valentine, an old friend and band mate of Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker).

The Thursday Murder Club premieres on Friday, August 22, in cinemas and on Thursday, August 28, on Netflix.