BBC reveals cast and plot for Showtrial season 2 starring Adeel Akhtar
The new season will focus on a brand-new trial, with the cast also featuring Nathalie Armin and Michael Socha.
BBC legal drama Showtrial, which first aired in 2021, is set to return with a second season, featuring an all new cast and plot.
Confirming that the series has now become an anthology format, the BBC announced that the cast of the second season will include Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood), Nathalie Armin (Unforgotten) and Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole) - with more names to be announced in due course.
The series will once again centre around a hotly contested criminal trial that divides the nation, with this season's case being involving the death of high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood in a violent hit and run.
In his dying moments, Marcus identifies his killer as a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed ‘Officer X’, what does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus’s death a careless accident or cold-blooded murder?
The series will focus on the charismatic and cocky officer Justin Mitchell, played by Socha, as well as anxious defence solicitor Sam Gill, played by Akhtar, and rigorous CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused Leila Hassoun-Kenny, played by Armin.
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The show's creator and writer Ben Richards said: "I am very grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to explore another sensational trial which I hope will be just as entertaining as our first outing. I love writing Showtrial and I’m honoured to have a cast of such high quality to deliver it."
Meanwhile, Akhtar said that he's "a big fan of Ben’s writing and so excited to be given the opportunity to join the second series of a brilliant show", while Armin said that her character Leila is a "fascinating role" which she "can’t wait" to bring to life.
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Socha added: "Loved series one! I cannot wait to get into the shoes of a character with such depth and ambiguity."
The five-part second season will begin filming in Belfast in November, and will once again come from the production company behind Line of Duty - World Productions.
Showtrial season 2 will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
