BBC crime drama Showtrial shares first look with Fool Me Once star
The BBC's returning crime drama Showtrial has released a first look at its new cast ahead of its release later this year.
Following its first series, which aired in 2021, a second instalment of the hit legal anthology will see a host of new faces tackle a fresh case.
The upcoming series boasts a star-studded cast, which includes Fool Me Once star Adeel Akhtar, Unforgotten's Nathalie Armin, Chernobyl's Michael Socha, Game of Thrones star Joe Dempsie, Heartstopper's Fisayo Akinade, Silent Witness actor Tom Padley and The Buccaneers star Barney Fishwick.
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Bodyguard star Nina Toussaint-White, A Haunting in Venice's Ali Khan and Inside Man's Daniel Kendrick also star, as well as Anna Próchniak, John Light, Aidan McArdle, Frankie Wilson, Zoe Telford, Kerrie Hayes and Anna Healy.
The Crown's Flora Montgomery, The Sandman's Daisy Badger, Victoria's Anna Wilson-Jones, Doc Martin's John Marquez and BAFTA-winner Francesca Annis round out the stacked cast.
Written by Ben Richards and directed by Julia Ford, the five-part drama will this time focus on the high profile case of "Officer X", a policeman accused of murdering a climate change activist.
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"When high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood (Fishwick) is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to apparently identify his killer — a serving policeman," reads the official synopsis for the series.
"But who is this unnamed Officer X? What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus' death a tragic accident or pre-meditated murder?
"From the victim's last breath to the jury's final verdict, Showtrial introduces us to the charismatic and cocky police officer Justin Mitchell (Socha); Sam Malik (Akhtar), an anxious defence solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Armin), a driven CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused."
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The synopsis concludes: "As public outrage reaches fever-pitch, the series asks what happens when a trial is dominated by cultural divisions and if the truth is ever clear cut. Is a fair trial even possible when tensions are riding so high?"
The BBC confirmed the return of the hard-hitting drama back in August. Filming began in Belfast three months later.
"I'm 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," the show's creator Ben Richards said at the time.
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"I love writing Showtrial, and I'm honoured to have a cast of such high quality to deliver it."
Akhtar added: "I'm a big fan of Ben's writing and so excited to be given the opportunity to join the second series of a brilliant show."
The first season of Showtrial centred around a duty solicitor (Tracy Ifeachor) involved in a high-profile case concerning Talitha Campbell (Celine Buckens), an upper-class student charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
The second series of Showtrial will air on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, with a date to be confirmed in due course. The first series is available to stream now on the BBC iPlayer.
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