Malpractice reveals first look at season 2 as Line of Duty and Victoria stars join cast

Additional casting also includes Ace Bhatti (Line of Duty), Hannah McClean (Blue Lights) and Seraphina Beh (Polite Society).

Penned once more by creator Grace Ofori-Attah, the new season sees the return of Helen Behan (The Virtues) and Jordan Kouamé (Scoop) as Dr Norma Callahan and Dr George Adjei of the Medical Investigation Unit (MIU), who are once again called in to investigate a doctor accused of malpractice.

Hughes stars as Dr James Ford, who finds himself caught between an anxious new mother's post-natal check-up and the sectioning of a psychotic patient, as per the series synopsis.

It continues: "Norma Callahan and George Adjei of the MIU are called in to investigate Dr Ford’s actions. His personal life is messy and his colleagues may find him arrogant, but Dr Ford appears committed to his vulnerable patients.

"Yet what appears to be a series of bad choices by one doctor spreads beyond the psychiatric unit to a hospital seemingly at war with itself. Is Dr Ford a doctor with a God complex, or a victim himself?

"With the investigation closing in, can Dr Ford save his already fragile career from a string of apparently damning mistakes? And can the MIU uncover the truth of what happened despite fierce opposition from all sides?"

Speaking on his involvement in the series, Hughes said: "I couldn't be more delighted to be playing James and helping bring to life Grace's pertinent and important piece, which stopped me in my tracks when I read it.

"I hope the audience, when they see it, are equally as gripped and engaged by it, as I was."

Niamh Algar was previously the lead in season 1 and as the new season focuses on a new case of medical misdeeds, she will not be returning.

Ofori-Attah previously told RadioTimes.com: "When we cast Niamh and the storytelling was going quite well, I did sort of think, 'Gosh, could we bring her back? I mean, it would be really nice to know what happens to her medical career and what happens to her, like do her and Tom survive?' All of those kind of things.

"But I think Niamh, she's such a star, it would be hard to bring her back as a sort of background character, and to do another story focused on her would be difficult if it's still a medical malpractice thing, because we sort of dealt with her malpractice.

"So, yeah, easier I think to look at a different area and different central doctor."

Malpractice season 2 arrives on ITV1 and ITVX this spring.

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