James Nesbitt back in Northern Ireland-set BBC drama ‘Bloodlands’ with more secrets set to emerge

The gritty detective drama ‘Bloodlands’ is set to return to the small screen next month for its second series.

To whet the fans’ appetites for the scenes watched by millions, nine photographs from the upcoming episodes have been released.

They reveal that not only is Nesbitt returning to play the lead role of Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Tom Brannick in his native Northern Ireland, but that ‘Peaky Blinders’ star Charlene McKenna will also be back as his colleague Detective Sergeant (DS) Niamh McGovern.

Victoria Smurfit joins the cast in season two as Olivia Foyle, an enigmatic widow at the centre of Brannick’s latest case.

The first series set the scene with the murder of a crooked accountant threatening to unravel the threads to reveal Brannick’s identity as legendary assassin, Goliath.

Viewers were left to wonder what lengths Brannick will go to in order to keep his legacy intact.

The first series of ‘Bloodlands’ launched with an average of 8.2 million viewers, and was Northern Ireland’s most-watched BBC drama launch on record.

The second series was filmed in Belfast and around Strangford Lough in Co Down.

The BBC and HTM Television production is produced by Christopher Hall and directed by Jon East and Audrey Cooke.

The second series of ‘Bloodlands’ will air on BBC One and iPlayer this September.

Nesbitt was born in Ballymena in 1965.

His family moved to Coleraine when he was 11 and after a year studying French at the then Ulster Polytechnic in Jordanstown he moved to London, where he studied drama, setting him on a path to acting and celebrity.