{"id":50704,"date":"2024-05-03T11:10:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T09:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1213198"},"modified":"2024-05-03T12:23:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T10:23:10","slug":"will-there-be-the-beast-must-die-season-2","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/will-there-be-the-beast-must-die-season-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Will there be The Beast Must Die season 2?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Billy Howle be returning as Strangeways? <\/p>

By Radio Times Staff\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 03 May 2024 at 09:10 AM<\/p>

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Detective drama The Beast Must Die<\/a> first debuted on BritBox in 2021, but now the full season is available to watch for free with ads on ITVX.<\/p>\n

The show, which stars Billy Howle, Jared Harris and Cush Jumbo<\/a>, was a hit for now closed down streamer BritBox when it first debuted, and it was quickly announced that a second season was in the works.<\/p>\n

However, with years having gone by without an update, and some major changes having shaken things up behind the scenes, what is the status of the previously announced second season now?<\/p>\n

Read on for everything you need to know about the future of The Beast Must Die.<\/p>\n

Will there be a season 2 of The Beast Must Die?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately for fans, it seems like there won\u2019t be a second season<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Back in 2021, after the first season launched on BritBox, it was announced soon after that a second season was already in development.<\/p>\n

The new season was set to be titled A Sword In My Bones, and was in development with New Regency Television and Ridley Scott\u2019s Scott Free. It was said that the show would be leaving the Isle of Wight behind for a \u201cnew cinematic setting\u201d, and would star the characters from season one \u2013 except for Billy Howle\u2019s Strangeways.<\/p>\n

However, since then there have been some major changes behind the scenes, with BritBox closing down and becoming absorbed into ITVX.<\/p>\n

RadioTimes.com<\/a> has now had it confirmed from ITV that a second season is not in development for ITVX<\/strong>, meaning it seems unlikely the proposed season 2 will ever see the light of day.<\/p>\n

What was The Beast Must Die season 2 going to be about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The proposed season 2, which is no longer in development, would have been deviating even further from the Strangeways novels by Nicholas Blake (AKA Cecil Day-Lewis) than season 1.<\/p>\n

When season 2 was originally announced, it was revealed that, instead of adapting another of the novels, screenwriter Gaby Chiappe had created her own original story, titled A Sword In My Bones.<\/p>\n

Ed Rubin, Head of New Regency Television International and Marina Brackenbury, Executive Producer, Scott Free UK said: \u201cHarnessing a similar emotional intensity and thriller pulse to season one; A Sword In My Bones will offer up even greater narrative scope, a terrific new cast of characters and a whole new cinematic setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Beast Must Die season 2 cast: Who would have been returning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Originally, season 2 was meant to star an entirely new cast of characters \u2013 with one exception. BritBox said at the time of the show\u2019s renewal, which has subsequently been scrapped, that Billy Howle<\/a> was \u201cmooted to return to the role of Detective Nigel Strangeways\u201d.<\/p>\n

Howle, whose previous credits include The Serpent and On Chesil Beach, said: \u201cI am thrilled by the reception to The Beast Must Die. A lot of hard work by all the cast and crew went into making the first original drama for BritBox, during a pandemic, and it seems to have paid off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would relish the opportunity to take on the role of Strangeways again and am really excited by the prospect of this next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Harrison, BritBox UK MD commented: \u201cWe are all immensely proud of our first original, scripted drama and the reception it has received from critics and subscribers alike. We are working closely with our partners at Scott Free and New Regency to explore what may lie in store for Detective Strangeways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the season 1 premiere, Howle himself told RadioTimes.com<\/strong> that he had unfinished business with Strangeways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wrestled with him, with Strangeways \u2013 not just in terms of getting into character, but there\u2019s just parts of him that I found incredibly frustrating and stressful,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was stressful to be him for however many months we were on the Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving said that, at the end of the process, I sort of did feel slightly deflated, perhaps more so than [usual] \u2013 because it\u2019s quite common that I do feel a bit deflated at the end of a job. But that\u2019s more to do with the sort of social aspects of working with people.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I was wondering, why do I feel something sort of irresolute about this? And I was trying to put my finger on what it was, and I realised, you know: what the hell happens to him? I felt a great sense of care towards him\u2026 and I sort of thought, wow, is he still that lonely?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd part of my job is sort of convincing myself that \u2013 well, no, I guess it\u2019s the whole job really, but convincing myself that I am this lonely figure and all that stuff. So it resonates. And it kind of leaves this residual feeling of irresolution and yeah, it\u2019s still with me now. And I\u2019m still thinking, what happens to Strangeways next?\u201d<\/p>

What was The Beast Must Die season 1 about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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BritBox\/ITV<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The official synopsis for the first season said: \u201cThe Beast Must Die is a gripping contemporary revenge thriller set on the Isle of Wight. Following the hit and run of a six-year-old boy, his mother (Cush Jumbo OBE) is intent on avenging his death and the only thing keeping her going is the desire to hunt down and kill the man she believes is responsible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe troubled yet brilliant Detective Strangeways (Howle) has to unpick this web of tragedy and steer a course to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cast for season 1 included Jared Harris, Geraldine James, Nathaniel Parker, Maeve Dermody, Cush Jumbo, Mia Tomlinson, and Barney Sayburn.<\/p>\n