Fans of BBC One’s World on Fire would be forgiven for thinking the show would never return after the first series premiered nearly three years ago, but there’s finally some good news – filming has officially started on its long-awaited second season.
The BBC has announced that production on the new season is currently underway, sharing a photo of star Jonah Hauer-King reprising the role of Harry.
World on Fire creator Peter Bowker said in a statement that the “long wait” between seasons was down to “a certain pandemic”, but that it made the “beginning of filming especially exciting”.
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“It has been a real joy to pick up the story with our inspirational cast, both our established regulars and new and exciting talent who have embraced the show’s scale and ambition,” he continued.
Season 2, which will consist of six episodes, will take viewers back to October 1940, where lone pilots are tasked with destroying German bombers above the streets of Manchester.
The show will follow the war “from the streets of Britain into occupied France, Nazi Germany, and to the sands of the North African desert” as troops struggle to adapt to a different style of combat.
The Crown‘s Lesley Manville (Robina), Julia Brown (Lois) and Zofia Wichlacz (Kasia) are set to return for season 2 alongside Blake Harrison (Stan), Eugénie Derouand (Henriette), Eryk Biedunkiewicz (Jan) and Cel Spellman (Joe).
Line of Duty‘s Mark Bonnar is joining the cast for the new episodes as Sir James Danemere, while Resident Evil’s Ahad Raza Mir and Pretty Smart’s Gregg Sulkin are taking on new roles in the period drama.
On filming season 2, Lesley Manville said: “It’s wonderful to be bringing Peter Bowker’s epic scripts to life again. Rich characters telling great, human stories set against the backdrop of World War Two. It’s a feast!”
Season 2 of World on Fire will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2023, with season 1 available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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