HUGELY POPULAR BBC DRAMA RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON AFTER TWO YEARS OFF SCREEN

The BBC has confirmed the return of a hugely popular drama after two years off screen.

Martin Freeman will reprise his role in The Responder with the acclaimed series set to make a small screen return in early May.

BBC One viewers were lift on a cliff-hanger in 2022, when the drama's first season ended with the actor's lead character Chris facing a plethora of adversaries, a drug ordeal, and devastating marriage woes with his wife Kate, portrayed by MyAnna Buring. To top it all off, he was losing the trust of his partner on the force, Rachel, and despite running to her aid in her ordeal with abusive boyfriend Steve, the tension between them remained palpable.

Since then, The Responder fans eagerly waited, keen to know what happened to Chris and his rookie partner - their patience has finally paid off. In a recent statement the BBC confirmed the upcoming release of a second series, announcing the show will return to BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 9pm.

The second season will kick off with a time jump, six months from The Responder's explosive first season finale. A new synopsis reads: "[Carson] is trying to be a better police officer, a better man, and most importantly, a better father to his daughter Tilly. All whilst still dealing with the relentless trauma of being a night response officer. Chris wants a day job. Chris needs a day job. But is he prepared to risk everything to get one?" Will Chris leave the force?

Based on the life of ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, who is also the writer for the series, The Responder tells the story of morally-compromised police responder Chris Carson navigating the pressure in the front line of the British force.

Throughout the series, Tony's debut in TV writing, Chris was seen trying to tackle a series of night shifts in Liverpool, with the help of work partner Rachel Hargreaves (played by Adelayo Adedayo), while his marriage was on a knife's edge.

Speaking to the broadcaster about his own experience in the police force, Tony said: "Every time you opened the car door, you didn’t know what you were going to find. It’s brilliantly exciting at the start but after a bit it becomes a bit monotonous and then it becomes a bit too much."

He also highlighted the emotional ups and downs on the job, stating that a responder is "someone who never gives you good news; somebody who kicks in doors, races round town centres and who fights literal and sometimes metaphorical fires."

Viewers have already seen their patience being put to the test as The Responder was first announced in February, 2020 but filming had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since its first series aired, the show won the Best Drama Award at the Edinburgh TV Awards while Martin Freeman was named Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards for the lead role.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

2024-04-23T11:06:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd