Sherwood season 2 is available in full now on BBC iPlayer in the UK, while it's heading to BritBox in the US in November.
James Graham's sequel once — which we rate as one of the best BBC dramas around — again addresses a host of powerful social and political themes, as a raft of new stars joins the stellar cast from Sherwood season 1.
The six-part series takes us back to the Nottinghamshire town of Ashfield around the Sherwood Forest area. The small ex-mining community is still scarred by divisions caused by the 1980s miners' strike.
David Morrissey is back as Detective Chief Superintendent Ian St Clair while Lesley Manville and Lorraine Ashbourne are also in the cast. They are joined by David Harewood, Monica Dolan and Sharlene Whyte, as two new families are brought into the heady mix. My Family and Citizen Smith star Robert Lindsay is also in the series...
Here's everything you need to know about Sherwood season 2...
Sherwood season 2 release date
Sherwood season 2 premiered in the UK on BBC One on Sunday 25 August 2024 at 9 pm. The series has ended but all the episodes are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
In the US and Canada, Sherwood season 2 is available on BritBox from Thursday, November 14, 2024.
How to watch Sherwood season 2 online or on TV
Is there a trailer for Sherwood season 2?
Yes, there's a trailer which you can see below. Things are tense again in Nottinghamshire...
Sherwood season 1 recap
The first series of Sherwood focused on a community still reeling from the use of "spycops", a practice in which police officers were sent deep undercover to infiltrate groups that opposed government policy.
These had been used during the miners’ strike in the 1980s and the community had never recovered from the betrayal and the divisions it caused. The series saw DCI Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) investigating a crossbow murder, which stirred up old but still raw tensions.
We saw him teaming up with DI Kevin Salisbury (Robert Glenister) and attempting to bury the long-held rivalries that had existed between them since the 1980s. At the crux of the murder was the shock revelation that one of the town’s key residents was originally an undercover cop.
Sherwood season 2 plot
Sherwood season 2 further explores the themes of fractured communities and the political turmoil in today’s Britain, introducing two new families to the town. Meanwhile a newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham is passionately fighting local government and business leaders to stop a proposed new mine coming to the area. The mine would bring much-needed jobs but is also an unwelcome reminder of the legacy that has blighted the community for so long...
The turmoil in Nottinghamshire’s ex-coal mining community continues into this second series with more violence plus organised crime running rampant. Caught up in the middle are the Sparrow family — mum Daphne (Lorraine Ashbourne), dad Mickey (Philip Jackson) and sons Ronan and Rory (Bill, Jones, Perry Fitzpatrick). New cast includes Monica Dolan as tough local mum Ann Branson, plus David Harewood and Sharlene Whyte as brother and sister Dennis and Pam. Robert Lindsay also stars as a controversial local businessman with big ambitions.
David Morrissey is back as retired detective Ian St Clair and Lesley Manville again plays widowed Julie Jackson.
The opening double-bill begins when disillusioned drug dealer Ryan Bottomley (Oliver Huntingdon) commits a deadly attack on one of his rivals, placing his whole family in danger.
Sherwood season 2 returning cast
David Morrissey is back as retired DCI St Clair while Lesley Manville returns as Julie Jackson. Lorraine Ashbourne plays her estranged sister Daphne Sparrow, the fearsome matriarch of the Sparrow family, with Philip Jackson starring as her husband Mickey Sparrow, while Bill Jones and Perry Fitzpatrick again play their sons Ronan and Rory Sparrow. Adam Hugill is also reprising his role as Scott Rowley.
The Ryan Bottomley incident (see above) is bad news for former detective Ian St Clair (David Morrissey), who’s taken on a new role as the area’s ‘anti-violence tsar’, while heads of the local crime family, Mickey and Daphne Sparrow (Philip Jackson and Lorraine Ashbourne), are also affected.
* Meet the cast of Sherwood: our who's who guide
Sherwood season 2 new cast members
Sherwood season 2 has plenty of new characters and therefore new cast. Look out for Homeland star David Harewood as Dennis Bottomley and Sharlene Whyte (Stephen) plays Dennis's sister Pam Bottomley. Other new cast are Monica Dolan (The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe) as Ann Branson and Stephen Dillane as her husband, while Robert Lindsay (My Family) and Robert Emms star, with Ria Zmitrowicz, Aisling Loftus, Michael Balogun, Christine Bottomley, Oliver Huntingdon, Jorden Myrie, Conor Deane and Bethany Asher.
Monica Dolan told us about her quite scary mother, Ann Branson: "It's very unusual to play somebody who’s got absolute, complete self-confidence, particularly if you’re a woman. Ann takes the lead a lot, she never explains herself, she’s not scared of the police and she completely trusts herself. There are some scenes when you think she could go in any direction."
David Harewood on playing Denis
When rrug dealer Ryan Bottomley (Oliver Huntingdon) commits a deadly attack on one of his rivals, he places his whole family in danger.
"I play Ryan’s step-uncle Denis," says Homeland star David Harewood. "He’s a gentle soul who just wants to support his sister, Pam, who was left to look after her step-children, Ryan and Stephie, when her partner died. Through no fault of theirs, Denis and his sister are impacted by what Ryan did, like a domino effect.’
Following Ryan’s attack, Denis and Pam (Sharlene Whyte) find themselves targeted by a dangerous crime family, run by Ann Branson (Monica Dolan) and her husband Roy (Stephen Dillane).
"It’s a story that illustrates how violence impacts real communities," says David. "People who aren't involved in that world at all can still be impacted by extreme violence. That's probably what was happening during a particular period in Nottingham’s recent history."
Behind the scenes and more Sherwood season 2
Sherwood series two was filmed in and around Nottingham. The drama is produced by House Productions and will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. James Graham has written all six episodes and will be an executive producer on the series. Clio Barnard is lead director and executive producer, with Tom George directing eps four, five, & six. The producer is Kate Ogborn (Life After Life; The North Water). Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross and Harriet Spencer are executive producers for House Productions, with Jo McClellan for the BBC. BBC Studios, which owns House Productions, is the international distributor of both series.
