The Responder shares first look at Martin Freeman in season 2

Freeman is back as main character Chris Carson, and judging from the expression on his face in the new still – which shows him in uniform and looking downwards – he won't be having any less a stressful time of it as he continues his job as a night shift police officer.

Meanwhile, Adedayo (above) will be back as Chris's junior partner Rachel Hargreaves, while Fairn (below) returns as Casey, a troubled young drug addict whom Chris regularly encounters during his shifts.

In the new stills, Casey can be seen sitting cross-legged on a bench, while a further image teases the return of her friend Marco, played by Finan.

In addition to the four stars seen in the first-look stills, a number of other actors are reprising their roles from the first run, including MyAnna Buring (The Witcher) as Chris's wife Kate, Warren Brown (Ten Pound Poms) as demoted police officer and Chris's nemesis Raymond and Philip S McGuinness (The Alienist) as Ian, one of the henchmen of the now dead drug dealer Carl.

Faye McKeever (Little Boy Blue), Mark Womack (The Vanishing Man) and Amaka Okafor (Bodies) are also all back, while new cast members this time around include Adam Nagaitis (The Terror), Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall) and Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star).

The first season was a huge success when it aired in early 2022, attracting 9.6m viewers for its first episode to make it one of the year’s biggest new dramas.

Although not too much has been given away about what we can expect in the second run just yet, creator and writer Tony Schumacher previously told RadioTimes.com: "These characters have grown and the situations have changed slightly. Where they live has changed slightly. Everything has just shifted.

"I want them to do new things and move forward."

An official release date has also not yet been revealed for the second outing, but it is expected to arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at some point later this year.

The Responder season 1 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto find out what's on.

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