Showtrial series 2 on BBC One: Everything we know including plot, cast, location, and start date

Showtrial series 2 on BBC One: Everything we know including plot, cast, location, and start date

Showtrial is back with a second series, and Sherwood heavyweight Adeel Akhtar joins the cast.

The first series in the anthology came out in 2021, and starred Celine Buckens as college student Talitha accused of murdering her so-called friend at a party.

The five-part drama followed the high-profile murder case through the eyes of the police, the public and the courts.

Frankly, it was quite brilliant - and hugely underrated at the time. So news of series 2 is hugely welcome.

Here's everything we know so far about Showtrial series 2, including plot, cast, location, and start date.

Tracy Ifeachor as Cleo, and Celine Buckens as accused Talitha in Showtrial series 1 (Credit: BBC)

What's the plot of Showtrial series 2?

Showtrial is returning with a series 2, following the thrilling first run which aired in 2021.

The second run of the BBC's anthology series features a brand new cast, and totally new murder investigation.

In the new five-parter, high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run. However, in his dying moments, he appears to identify his killer - a serving policeman.

(Yes, Line of Duty fans amongst you may well be having a Cottan/Fleming/H flashback!)

But who is this unnamed 'Officer X'? What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge? And was Marcus' death actually a careless accident or cold-blooded murder?

A synposis teases: "As public outrage reaches fever-pitch, Showtrial questions if a fair trial is possible when tensions are riding so high, and if the truth is ever clear cut."

Who is in the cast of Showtrial series 2?

Michael Socha portrays charismatic and cocky officer PC Justin Mitchell. This is England fans will know the actor from playing Harvey. He's also famous for portraying Tom McNair in Being Human, Will Scarlet in Once Upon a Time, and David Hartley in The Gallows Pole.

Adeel Akhtar stars as Sam Malik, an anxious defence solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes. Adeel is simply brilliant, and known for Sherwood, Fool Me Once, Sweet Tooth, Killing Eve, and Back to Life.

Nathalie Armin stars as Leila Hassoun-Kenny, a wry and rigorous CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused. The actress is known for playing Yasmine in Home, and Dr. Helen in Marcella.

Game of Thornes actor Joe Dempsie stars as DI Miles Southgate, while Heartstopper's Fisayo Akinade is Felix Owusu.

Red Eye's Zoë Telford plays Helen McGuire, Shetland's Nina Toussaint-White is Claudia Wood, Red Rose's Ali Khan stars as Mani Malik-Cohen, and Father Brown's John Light portrays Adrian Gilligan.

Meanwhile, Doc Martin's John Marquez stars as Alex, Bridgerton's Anna Wilson-Jones plays Tamara Baudin-Kenny, and Cranford's Francesca Annis portrays Dame Harriet Kenny.

Tom Padley as DI Packham, and Joe Dempsie as Southgate in Showtrial series 2 (Credit: BBC)

How many episodes is Showtrial series 2?

Like the first series, Showtrial series 2 is a five-part series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

Each episode will be one hour long.

Showtrial series 1 is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Who wrote it?

Ben Richards wrote and created Showtrial series 1 and 2. He's known for writing The Diplomat, COBRA, and The Tunnel.

The series was made by World Productions (Vigil, Malpractice, Line of Duty) for the BBC.

Francesca Annis as Dame Harriet Kenny in the second series of Showtrial (Credit: BBC)

Where is Showtrial set and filmed?

Showtrial series 2 is set in Brighton. However it was filmed in Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Director Julia Ford says: "Brighton is where I live so I opened the script and read 'man on a bike cycling from Lewes to Brighton', and I thought that was brilliant for me. We shot it in Belfast and I thought it was going to be a real challenge putting these places together."

She added: "Our locations department, production designer Gillian Devenney, producer Ken Horn and I all got on a zoom and looked at images of places they'd been to see in Belfast - I was absolutely staggered by how many places look like certain parts of Brighton."

Executive Producer Simon Heath explained why Brighton was the setting, saying: "In lots of ways this new instalment of Showtrial plays into the contemporary obsession with the culture wars. We felt that Brighton was a very recognisable backdrop for that conflict."

Meanwhile, Executive Producer Emma Luffingham added: "We were really clear that we wanted this series to be set on the South Coast. And Brighton in particular jumped out as city very focused on the climate agenda. For Marcus and his group, 'Stop Climate Genocide', Brighton felt like a natural home. As a vibrant and politically engaged city, it provided us with a perfect location to explore activism and the opposing views to it."