BBC's Bloodlands is set to return to our TV screens this weekend as actor James Nesbitt reprises his role as the leading star in a second series of the crime drama. The 57-year-old, best known for roles in Cold Feet and The Missing, will return as DCI Tom Brannick in a series he promises has more shocks in store.
The gritty detective drama launched with its first series in 2021 with an average of 8.2 million viewers, according to the BBC, and was Northern Ireland’s most watched BBC drama launch on record. The gripping storyline saw viewers discover the DCI’s shocking secret that he was assassin Goliath, while the characters were left in the dark.
It turned out the detective's secret was one he was willing to kill to protect, with the series ending in a dramatic conclusion. The six-part second series will now launch this weekend, and James said while the audience is already one step ahead, they may not be able to predict what his character's next move will be.
“So much has happened in the world since Bloodlands," James said: "And so I think this one is definitely breathing more, and I think the storyline is very interesting – the audience knows something that no one else does. That gives you a really interesting platform to see how the chinks in his façade begin to happen, the audience is one step ahead but they don’t know what Tom is about to do.
“He’s a policeman who is a murderer," He continued: "A liar but someone who, I think, you are intrigued by, you can also see the human side to him, the relationship with his daughter, the pain that he has felt in his life, the disappearance of his wife.”
Charlene McKenna, who is returning as DS Niamh McGovern said the new series is "really good" explaining: "You never want to say that because you never want to jinx anything, but it’s really strong," and adding how she feels about the audience knowing Tom's secret she said: "It’s nice, you guys knowing, and us sniffing, and the introduction of Smurfit’s character adds a really, really gritty and antagonistic element.”
James Nesbitt's former Cold Feet co-star Victoria Smurfit is joining the cast this series as Olivia, a character described as an 'enigmatic widow' at the centre of DCI Brannick’s latest case. “There’s a lot to her, she’s complicated, she’s instinctual, she’s driven… and I love her,” Victoria said: “She’s a really, really interesting woman to play. Just when you think you know what she’s thinking, you don’t.”
Writer Chris Brandon, originally from Northern Ireland, admitted he "never thought" anyone would make Bloodlands and that Line Of Duty producer Jed Mercurio was the first to say “we can do this”. Asked about the potential for a third series, he said: “I think we always hope for more. Brannick is a character that can give us, and is going to give us, so much excitement, so I think we’ll get to the end and see what people think.”
Series two of Bloodlands will start on BBC One this Sunday (September 18) from 9.05pm. You can stream the first series on the BBC iPlayer.
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