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The BBC announces four of its ‘biggest’ TV dramas will return for a second series
The renewal of the shows is said to "demonstrate the sheer scale and range of storytelling on the BBC".
Emily Sergeant -
22nd March 2022 
The BBC has revealed that four of its most-popular TV dramas from the past year are to return for a second series.
The Tourist, The Responder, Vigil, and Time will soon be back on our screens.
After each of the series pulled in millions of viewers when they first aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer throughout 2021 and at the start of 2022, and in a move that’s said to “demonstrate the sheer scale and range of storytelling on the BBC”, the broadcaster has announced that the four shows will make a comeback.
The Tourist starring Jamie Dornan is the highest-rated drama of 2022 so far, having launched with a huge 12 million viewers, and all six episodes being the most-watched on BBC iPlayer in January this year.
The second-biggest new drama of 2022 so far was The Responder – which stars Martin Freeman and launched with nearly 10 million viewers across 30-days – will also return for a second series, and will once again be set and filmed in Liverpool.
In 2021, the Scottish-set police procedural show Vigil starring Suranne Jones was the UK’s most-watched new drama launch in three years – since Bodyguard aired in 2018 – as it drew in an audience of over 13 million viewers across 30-days for episode one, and an overall average of 12.6 million viewers, so it stands to reason that it would come back for series two.
Time – which stars Sean Bean, and was also filmed in Liverpool – was both a critical and ratings hit in the UK and one of 2021’s highest performing new dramas with nearly 12 million viewers for the series overall.
The BBC says the second series of the show will welcome a new cast and will be set in an all-female prison.
Speaking on the return of the four series, Charlotte Moore – BBC Chief Content Officer – said: “The BBC is on fire creatively and the return of four of our biggest dramas over the last year demonstrates the sheer scale and range of storytelling on the BBC.”
More information about each series will be “revealed in due course”.
Featured Image – BBC
