Houseboat-dwelling detective DI Max Arnold is tackling some fresh cases in The Chelsea Detective season 2.
The picturesque neighborhood of Chelsea might be beautiful on the surface, but DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) knows that it has got a darker side already after solving a series of crimes in The Chelsea Detective season 1. In the second season, he'll be tackling some new crimes alongside a brand new partner.
This time around, Max Arnold is being teamed up with a new no-nonsense colleague, DS Layla Walsh (Three Families star, Vanessa Emme). Talking about their working relationship, Scarborough told us: "I think Layla has the capacity to be quite parental with Max. He sometimes treads a fine line between legal and illegal at work and Layla’s good at going, ‘Er, I don’t think that’s a very good idea’ and looking at him in a stern way so he feels admonished. That’s been a lot of fun to play. More of that please!"
Here's what we know about The Chelsea Detective season 2...
The Chelsea Detective season 2 release date
The Chelsea Detective season 2 premieres on Acorn TV on Monday, August 28, 2023.
You can either subscribe directly via the Acorn TV website or if you're a Prime Video subscriber, you can add Acorn TV to your streaming round-up by adding it to your account as a Prime Video Channel.
The Chelsea Detective season 2 plot
Acorn TV has teased us with a preview for what's to come in The Chelsea Detective season 2.
A preview on Acorn TV reads: "The second season brings new cases for Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough, Killing Eve) and the team to investigate as Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme, Dublin Murders) joins Chelsea CID from Exeter.
"Layla isn't wide-eyed or naive about life in London, but she is an outsider and will occasionally roll her eyes at the worst excesses of Chelsea. Layla speaks her mind and isn't afraid to be forthright in her questioning — be that questioning a person of interest or questioning how the team investigates their cases."
Adrian Scarborough has also let slip a few details about the new cases the Chelsea team will be facing! When we spoke to him about the new series, he said: "We kick off what appears to have been an art heist that’s gone horribly wrong. The manager of the gallery is found bludgeoned to death. Rachael Stirling plays Rebekah Chaban, the wealthy gallery owner and Kevin Eldon plays her security driver called Roy.
"But Roy is actually a dodgy ex-copper and he and Layla have a past history together that is not entirely sweet. Later on, there’s a case where a psychotherapist is killed during a live zoom session which is very dark. And there’s also a murder at a luxury Chelsea retirement home.
Who's in The Chelsea Detective season 2 cast?
Obviously, we can't have The Chelsea Detective without the titular man himself, and Adrian Scarborough is back on board as DI Max Arnold. When we spoke to Adrian Scarborough about the first series, he said playing a lead in a detective was 'something of a dream for most character actors', so it's no surprise he's back on board.
Joining him for the new series is Vanessa Emma (Dublin Murders) who is playing Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh. She's joined the team from Exeter, and has been described by Acorn as 'an outsider'. Will she manage to fit in at Chelsea CID?
Vanessa Emme said of her role: "[Layla]is very no-nonsense, has a strong moral compass and says exactly what she thinks. She’s also a very outdoorsy person and has moved to London from Devon. When she’s not working she likes being in the middle of nowhere camping or hiking."
In addition, we also know that Sophie Stone (Shetland) is back as Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton, with Lucy Phelps (Grace) and Peter Bankolé (Peaky Blinders) also back as DC Jess Lombard and DC Connor Pollock, respectively. Plus, Anamaria Marinca (Deadline) is back as Max's ex, Astrid, and Frances Barber (Whitstable Pearl) is reprising the role of Max's aunt, Olivia Arnold.
The Chelsea Detective season 2 also boasts an impressive roaster of guest stars. Expect to see the likes of Neil Morrissey (The Good Karma Hospital), Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Kevin Eldon (Hot Fuzz) Raquel Cassidy (Downton Abbey), Siân Phillips (I, Claudius) and Pippa Heywood (Magpie Murders) cropping up throughout this new chapter!
Is there a The Chelsea Detective season 2 trailer?
The Chelsea Detective season 2 trailer arrived in mid-August 2023, and it primarily features on the working relationship between our new partners.
In it, we see Max Arnold and Layla Walsh trying to get to the bottom of some of their new cases, with interrogations, confrontations and a car chase thrown in for good measure! Check it out below:
