Following huge critical and audience acclaim, the BBC has confirmed that its latest police drama Blue Lights will return for a second season. The hit Northern Ireland drama saw us follow the working and personal lives of three rookie police recruits in season one and will commence filming for season two this summer in Belfast.
Season one of the Belfast drama explored the far-reaching impact of organised crime within communities, unpicking the often nuanced relationships between police and the public and within the force itself. Identity, gun control, the structure of the policing system, IRA tensions and intergenerational relationships against the backdrop of these tensions were at the show’s centre.
The show’s co-writer and co-creator, Adam Patterson, told BBC Writers’ Room: “We also thought that rather than just having one central protagonist (and I think this is also how Dec [Lawn] and I tend to write – in a more ensemble way), we thought, let’s put a couple more probationers in there who have different approaches.”
Patterson and Lawn both grew up in Northern Ireland and while it was their first foray into pure fiction, the writers intent on making it as authentic as possible. The duo spent two years researching and speaking to upwards of thirty serving and retired police officers.
Season one’s ensemble of rookie recruits consisted of three very different characters. First, we have 41-year-old Grace Ellis (Sîan Brooke), who has come from a career in social work and whose idealistic outlook is somehow behind her best and worst traits. Then, we have Annie Conlon (Katherin Devlin), a young camogie-playing recruit from up north where anti-police sentiment is ubiquitous, and who we see check for bombs beneath her car every morning. The final probationer is Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff), who cannot shoot on target and who, to Annie’s disdain, is on the fast-track scheme.
In recent years, audiences have been treated by the offerings of the crime and police drama genre. Line of Duty, Unforgotten, and of course, the highly anticipated return and final furore of Happy Valley have all had the nation on the edge of its sofas. So Blue Lights, produced by Two Cities Television, had a tough act to follow. And follow it did. With five-star ratings across the board and a solid 8.2/10 on IMDb, Blue Lights fans will be ecstatic at the news of its confirmed return.
You can catch up on season one of Blue Lights on BBC iPlayer.
Words by Hannah Bradfield
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