Filming begins on The Responder S2

Filming on series two of UK crime drama The Responder has begun in Liverpool.

Written by ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, the series starring Martin Freeman held a mirror up to the emotional extremes of life on the front line of British policing – sometimes darkly funny, sometimes painfully tragic, always challenging.

Freeman returns along with Adelayo Adedayo, MyAnna Buring, Warren Brown, Josh Finan, Emily Fairn, Philip S McGuinness,  Faye McKeever, Mark Womack, and Amaka Okafor

New cast include Adam Nagaitis (The Terror; Chernobyl), Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall; Lord of the Rings, Titanic) and Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star; Pennyworth).

Series two joins Chris Carson six months later. Chris is attempting to rebuild his life, and his relationships, desperate to avoid the corruption that nearly sucked him under. He 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?

Rachel Hargreaves is putting her life back together too. She’s still fuming at the way Chris broke her dreams of being a police officer and dragged her down with him into the dirt, and now she’s desperately trying to take control of a life and a career that sometimes feels like it’s slipping away. But after working with a succession of ‘normal’ coppers, Rachel is starting to realise she’s got more in common with Chris than she’d ever want to admit.

As they are sucked back together, and into the night, they must pull each other back into the light. But then a routine stop on a black Range Rover changes everything, and suddenly, the darkness beckons once again.

Writer Tony Schumacher says: “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, says: “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.”

It screens in Australia on SBS.