The end of Sherwood season one revealed some major truths about Daphne Sparrow.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Friday, 29 December 2023 at 08:00 AM


BBC One thriller, Sherwood, came onto our screens back in 2022 and is set for a star-studded second season that has a lot to live up to after the success of the first instalment.

The new series will further explore “the powerful themes that made the first so resonant to audiences across the UK”, but of course, many are left wondering how the series will deal with the fallout of the season one revelation of the true identity of the ‘spy cop’.

In the anticipated finale, we found out that it was Lorraine Ashbourne’s Daphne Sparrow that was the ‘spy cop’ named as Keats, deployed into Sherwood during the ’80s miners’ strike.

So, just how will things unfold for Daphne in season 2? Well, chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Ashbourne said of her character’s second season arch: “Things are not great for Daphne.

“For me, the first series I had to keep in so many secrets and, in many ways, it was quite an easy play. This wasn’t now. This was like ‘it’s all out there and there’s a lot of confession’.”

The new season will introduce new characters and families who find themselves in the world of local crime family, the Sparrows, of which Daphne is the matriarch.

According to the synopsis: “The series, set in the present day, introduces two new families that find themselves entangled with the Sparrows, entering a complex web of local gangs, old rivalries, revenge and betrayal.

Sparrow family in Sherwood stood next to an open door.
The Sparrowds. House Productions/Matt Squire

“A newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham is passionately fighting local government and influential business leaders to save the community from the prospect of a proposed new mine for the area.

“It brings the promise of much needed jobs and prosperity, but also unwelcome reminders of the legacy that has mired the community for so long.”

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The new season will see the return of Ashbourne, as well as David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, Philip Jackson, Perry Fitzpatrick, Bill Jones and Adam Hugill.

But the new season also boasts some new faces including David Harewood (The Night Manager), Robert Lindsay (My Family), Monica Dolan (Black Mirror), Sharlene Whyte (Stephen) and Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), plus more.