The BBC has revealed a first look at the second season of the Belfast-based police drama Blue Lights, confirming who will return in the new episodes and which fresh faces have joined the cast.
Reprising her starring role as Grace Ellis is Siân Brooke, who is joined by Martin McCann as Stevie Neil, Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon, Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster and Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally.
Also returning are Andi Osho (Sandra Cliff), Hannah McClean (Jen Robinson), Paddy Jenkins (Happy Kelly), Desmond Eastwood (Murray Canning), Andrea Irvine (Nicola Robinson), Aoibhéann McCann (Geraldine Gilroy) and Abigail McGibbon (Tina McIntyre).
Joining the cast for season two are Sanditon's Frank Blake as new Constable Shane Bradley, along with Seamus O'Hara (An Irish Goodbye) as Lee Thompson, and Seána Kerslake (Bad Sisters) as his sister Mags.
Rounding out the new additions are Craig McGinlay (Cobra) as Lee's right-hand man Craig, and Dan Gordon (Bloodlands) playing Mags and Lee's Uncle Rab.
In the new episodes, we find Grace, Annie and Tommy all growing up fast as police officers, but nothing can prepare them for the turmoil they face every day.
It's been a year since the downfall of the McIntyre crime gang and the vacuum has been filled by rival gangs, all competing for dominance.
The synopsis continues: "Constable Shane Bradley is drafted in to help, but his motivations are unclear. Tommy is dangerously seduced by the world of intelligence policing, while Grace struggles to deal with her son’s absence, and growing feelings for fellow officer Stevie. As a young loyalist threatens to take over the city, the officers face a major gangland feud – culminating in a violent and devastating confrontation."
Commenting on the series and teasing the upcoming episodes, writers and directors Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, said: "Blue Lights is a very personal project for us, set in the city where we live, so for us making this show is a special kind of privilege. In series two we join our officers exactly a year after the events of series one, and now they're facing a whole new set of professional and personal challenges. We're very excited indeed about bringing you this next chapter of the Blue Lights story. Take a beat!"
Season one arrived on our screens in March 2023 and went down a storm with viewers and critics alike, receiving five-star reviews and over seven million viewers, making it one of the top ten new drama series of 2023 across all broadcasters and streamers.
The BBC has yet to announce an air date for the new season, but considering filming took place over the summer, we're probably looking at a spring release.
Blue Lights is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.