Sherwood season 2 gets release date and first trailer

Lesley Manville in Sherwood season 2 (Image credit: BBC)

Sherwood season 2 will launch with a Bank Holiday double bill on Sunday, August 25 and Monday, August 26, on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

The first series received critical acclaim and was one of the best BBC dramas of 2022, with over seven million viewers tuning in. David Morrissey is back as Detective Chief Superintendent Ian St Clair while Lesley Manville and Lorraine Ashbourne are also returning. They'll be joined by David Harewood, Robert Lindsay, Monica Dolan and Sharlene Whyte, as two new families brought into the mix.

In the dramatic trailer below, David Morrissey's character warns: "It's a gathering storm and I’m worried about anyone who's at the centre of it."

Teasing the plot, the BBC says: "The second series further explores the powerful themes that made the first so resonant to audiences across the UK. Set in the present day it introduces two new families that find themselves entangled with the Sparrows, entering a complex web of local gangs, old rivalries, revenge, and betrayal.

"Meanwhile, a newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham is passionately fighting against a proposed new mine for the area, which brings the promise of much-needed jobs and prosperity but also unwelcome reminders of the legacy that has mired the community for so long."

Robert Lindsay (first look above) joins Sherwood season 2. — Robert Lindsay in the new series (Image credit: BBC)

Sherwood series two was filmed in and around Nottingham. James Graham has written all six episodes and is an executive producer on the series. The first series of Sherwood is available to watch now on iPlayer.

Talking previously about his motivation for writing the drama, James Graham said: "Well coming from this community, places like this rarely get screen time. I don't think there's ever been a drama set in the part of the world in which I grew up. So to be able to put those voices and those people, and their sense of humor and wit, and that experience, and the conditions that underpin that community on screen, is a huge privilege."

Sherwood series two launches at 9 pm on Sunday, August 25 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, with new episodes premiering on Sunday and Monday nights across three weeks.

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough.

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

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