Annika season 2: release date, cast, plot, episode guide, trailer and everything we know

Annika season 2 is back on our screens, as the literature-loving detective (played by Nicola Walker) with a habit of turning to the camera and speaking directly to the viewers returns to Alibi to solve six brand new cases.

Annika season 1 (recently repeated on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer) ended with the shocking revelation that Annika's colleague Michael (Jamie Sives) is the father of her teenage daughter Morgan, a fact that both Michael and Morgan remain in the dark about — for now, at least.

Here's everything we know so far about the hit crime drama's second season...

Annika season 2 release date

Annika season 2 launches on Alibi on Wednesday, August 9 at 9pm. The entire series is available as a box set at launch via NOW, Sky and Virgin Media.

There's currently no US release date.

Annika season 2 cast

Nicola Walker (Marriage) returns to head up the Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) as DI Annika Strandhed, and is joined by returning cast members Jamie Sives (Guilt) as DS Michael McAndrews, Ukweli Roach (Wolf) as DS Tyrone Clarke, Katie Leung (Roadkill) as DC Blair Ferguson, Silvie Furneaux (Red Rose) as Morgan Strandhed, and Kate Dickie (Inside Man) as DCI Diane Oban. They're joined in series two by new cast member Varada Sethu (Andor), who plays DC Harper Weston.

Annika season 2 plot

With season one having ended on the bombshell of Annika revealing Morgan's true parentage, season two sees the detective uncharacteristically unsure of herself as she searches for the right moment to tell Michael the truth.

"Season two picks up approximately two minutes after that," says Nicola. "Annika's normally very honest, talking down the barrel of the lens to everyone. She knows what she should do, and she knows how much she's done wrong, but she prevaricates with telling Michael the truth, so a lot of the series is taken up with making excuses. She uses you as a therapist, essentially — she's in denial for a lot of it."

The mood is quickly punctured when the team are sent straight out on another job, and Annika's preoccupied both with her caseload and this burning secret that she needs to let Michael in on. Meanwhile, her daughter Morgan is preparing for a bushcraft trip with her school, and both Tyrone and Blair have news of their own that is set to cause some changes within the team...

"The show has got a lot of joy in it," says Nicola. "It's about human relationships, and that's basically what I think [series creator] Nick Walker is writing about. We realised last season that we were sort of a metaphorical family — you've got the mother and father figures in the unit [in Annika and Michael], and the children in Blair and Tyrone. He's talking about love, communication and human relationships as well as the case of the week."

Annika season 2 episode guide

Episode 1: When a phone with a brutal drowning recorded on it is handed in to MHU headquarters, the pressure is on for Annika and the team to track down the murderer. Meanwhile, Annika struggles to find the opportunity to share a deep secret with Michael that could change his life and their relationship forever, and Blair and Tyrone each share some important and shocking news of their own.

Episode 2: When a newly-released prisoner is found dead in a dog cage under the Forth Rail Bridge, the team are sent to Edinburgh to find her killer. Assisted by the astute and witty Edinburgh DC Harper Weston, the team trace the victim's last activities through the city. As the case unfolds, Annika reflects on punishments in the Edinburgh novel Waverley and realises that the victim's conviction may be more central to her death than they initially thought. Annika also shares with Michael a truth she's been hiding for years.

Episode 3: A Scottish millionaire found dead in a shark tank becomes Annika and the team's most high-profile investigation yet. The victim appears to be a generous advocate for the environment, a respected innovator and loved family member — but the cracks in his persona begin to show as Annika and the team uncover the hidden monster within. Things get personal as Annika becomes the victim of a cyber-based attack, and on the heels of the revelation of a long-held secret, Annika and Michael's personal life starts to spill over into work.

Episode 4: Annika and the team are sent to investigate the death of a local lothario found encased in a block of ice between two of Scotland's scenic Hebridean islands, Jura and Islay. Joined by DC Harper Weston, newly recruited to the unit, the team are challenged to uncover the ice-obscured identity of the victim, helped by a provocatively-placed tattoo. Orwell's "1984" brings Annika to reflect on worst fears as she navigates a new personal dynamic with Michael, made more complicated by an encounter with an old flame.

Episode 5: When Morgan starts working at a remote Scottish eco-resort, Annika visits on a minibreak to support her daughter. However, her holiday is interrupted when a local builder employed by the resort turns up dead in a nearby stream. Annika reflects on King Lear as she's forced to stay in close quarters with her father.

Episode 6: Annika arrives at the scene of a houseboat caught in a raging blaze at Glasgow's canals to find that the victim trapped inside is a former police officer. The fiery scene prompts her to reflect on Prometheus, Titan god of fire, as she considers retribution throughout the case, and a recently-released murderer becomes a top suspect as he seems to enjoy playing cat-and-mouse with the team...

Is there a trailer for Annika season 2?

There is — Alibi have been sharing it on their social channels, and you can check it out below...