The Responder Season Two Underway

Filming has started in Liverpool on the second season of the drama The Responder, produced by Dancing Ledge Productions (The Salisbury Poisonings, Crossfire) for BBC One and iPlayer.

Written by ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, The Responder holds a mirror up to the emotional extremes of life on the front line of British policing. The first season was released on the BBC in January 2022 and attracted 9.6 million viewers, making it one of the year’s biggest new dramas.

Season two is penned by Schumacher. Stars Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Breeders), Adelayo Adedayo (Unsaid Stories, Timewasters), MyAnna Buring (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Witcher), Warren Brown (Ten Pound Poms, Luther), Josh Finan (Baby Reindeer, The Gentlemen), Emily Fairn (Mary & George, Black Mirror—Demon 79), Philip S McGuinness (The Batman, The Alienist), Faye McKeever (A Confession, Little Boy Blue), Mark Womack (The Vanishing Man, Playing the Field) and Amaka Okafor (Bodies, Greatest Days) reprise their roles. New additions to the cast include Adam Nagaitis (The Terror, Chernobyl), Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall, Lord of the Rings) and Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star, Pennyworth).

Schumacher said: “Throwing myself back into the world of The Responder has been such a ride over this last year or so. Gathering the characters old and new around me has been a delight, and finally getting to see these people brought to life by so many incredible people fills me with genuine excitement. I just can’t wait for you to see them too!”

Toby Bruce, executive producer for Dancing Ledge Productions, added: “It’s such an incredible joy and privilege to be back working with Tony’s magic scripts, continuing the stories of characters we’ve all fallen in love with. Martin Freeman as Chris and Adelayo as Rachel both have the ability to be emotional lightning rods, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring them, and the rest of our amazing cast, back together.”

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “Series one of The Responder gave us a bold and thrilling new take on the police drama, winning five-star reviews and millions of fans on BBC One and iPlayer in the process. It’s a joy to once again partner with Tony, Martin, Adelayo and such a fantastic team to see what’s next for Chris and Rachel.”