Jamie Dornan on the key reason he said yes to The Tourist season 2

"My thinking was, 'Where are we going? Like, if we're doing this, where are we going?'" Dornan explained. "Because it was a bit of an upheaval to go to Australia, and the idea of going again so soon after… I mean, these guys don't have kids, I have three kids.

"And I took them all with me, they went to school there, it was a big thing family-wise to do that. And the idea of doing that again so soon wasn't hugely appealing."

He continued: "But luckily, Jack and Harry [Williams, creators] had plans to make it something closer to home, and I probably approved those plans pretty quickly.

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"I was like, 'If there's a reason to tell it and you guys have a good idea of where it can go, and there's a want for it…'

"We knew there was a want for it, because there was a big reaction from the public here and certainly Australia, and definitely in the States a bit. So if there's an appetite for it and a good story to tell and it was closer to home, then I was in.

"I read that first script, and it hasn't deviated much from the very early draft that I read, what we ended up shooting. I just thought it was f***ing mad, just the way they are, and funny and confusing. So there were enough good elements for me to go again."

The new season of The Tourist will see Elliot and Helen attempting to uncover the secrets of Elliot’s past, but ultimately being dragged into a longstanding family feud and facing the consequences of his past actions.

Macdonald revealed that she was also rooting for the show to go to Ireland, and that at one stage the show's creators, Harry and Jack Williams, considered setting the season in Canada.

"I remember talking to Harry pretty early on about it, and he was saying they'd had some thoughts about Canada," Macdonald explained.

"And I actually remember saying, 'What about Ireland? Doesn't that make sense? Like, he's Irish.' And they were like, 'We did think about that, too,' and I was like, 'That sounds fun.' I really wanted to go to Ireland."

The Tourist season 2 starts on Monday 1st January on BBC One and iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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