Alex Kingston Cast in Key Arrow Role

Alex Kingston has been cast on Arrow Season 1. In a key upcoming role.

The former ER and Doctor Who star will come on board this spring as Laurel's mother, Dinah Lance. Also the ex-wife of Detective Quentin, of course, the character returns to Starling City in order to make amends with the family she abandoned following the death of her other daughter on board Oliver's yacht.

In the comic version of Arrow, Dinah is the original Black Canary and she passes along her superhero identity to her daughter.

We'll soon see if this storyline is kept, changed or forgotten about entirely on the television version, which returned from hiatus last week to improved ratings. It airs a new episode tomorrow night on The CW.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.