Karen Pirie Season Two Begins Production

Filming has begun for Karen Pirie season two, produced by World Productions (The Pembrokeshire Murders, Line of Duty, Malpractice) for ITV, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

The cold-case murder drama, based on Val McDermid’s A Darker Domain, will see the return of Lauren Lyle (Outlander, Vigil) as the titular fearless young Scottish investigator. In the new season, Pirie and her colleagues will reinvestigate the 1984 kidnapping of heiress Catriona Grant and her baby son.

In 1984, when young Catriona Grant, heiress to the Grant oil fortune, is kidnapped at gunpoint with her young son, it is assumed that the motivation is political. The huge investigation creates a press storm, but when the culprits unexpectedly fall silent, the case runs cold and Catriona and her son are never seen again. Forty years later, when a man’s body is discovered, Pirie is assigned to reopen the case in complete secrecy.

Also returning for season two are Chris Jenks (Sex Education, Vigil), Zach Wyatt (Timestalker, The Witcher: Blood Origin), Steve John Shepherd (Harry Potter, Karen Pirie), Emer Kenny and Rakhee Thakrar (Wonka, Sex Education).

New additions for the modern timeline are Saskia Ashdown (Six Four), James Cosmo (Braveheart), Frances Tomelty (Unforgotten) and John Michie (Holby City). New cast members for the 1984 timeline are Julia Brown (World on Fire), Mark Rowley (One Day), Kat Ronney (Dinosaur), Conor Berry (Schemers), Stuart Campbell (The Winter King), Jamie Michie (Back to Life), Madeleine Worrall (The Legend of Tarzan), Jack Stewart (Outlander), Thoren Ferguson (Rebus) and Helen Katamba (The Nest).

The series is produced by World Productions in association with ITV Studios, which also handles global distribution. It is written by Emer Kenny (The Curse, Save Me Too).

“I’ve never been asked so often about when a character is returning to our screens,” said Simon Heath, CEO of World Productions and executive producer of the series. “Well, Karen is back again, as whip smart as ever with an intriguing new cold case from the 1980s. Drawn from Val’s terrific novel, Emer’s tremendous scripts have attracted an exciting new guest cast to join our established names. I can’t wait for everyone to see the finished show.”

Kenny said, “I’ve never related to a character more than Karen Pirie. When she’s laughing, I’m laughing. When she’s stressed, I’m stressed. When she turns to drink… well, you get the idea. So, I’m delighted to be bringing her back to your screens, now a Detective Inspector with more power, more confidence and some of the same iconic sweater vests. We have a dazzling cast, a heroic crew and epic plot twists. If Karen Pirie isn’t already your favorite detective, I promise she will be soon.”

“After the well-deserved success of the first series, it’s great filming has started again on Karen Pirie and that we’re returning to the brilliant characters and world Emer has created,” added Huw Kennair-Jones, drama commissioner at ITV. “And with a stellar cast led by the BAFTA Scotland-winning Lauren Lyle and produced by the always excellent World Productions, the second series promises to deliver a gripping story that’ll keep the ITV and ITVX audiences guessing until the very end. We can’t wait for it to hit the screens.”