After a very successful first run with the US-sourced drama, which came to its conclusion last night, Channel 4 have today announced that the second series will also air on their network and, subsequently, catch-up service.

When exactly this will happen is very much up in the air – the comeback was confirmed months ago, but the shoot seems to not yet be underway. Perhaps it’s most likely that the two seasons will be shot and aired a year apart, though this is not a given when you realise the show is distributed initially on the Hulu streaming service in the US.

Perhaps the biggest question is what manner of thing season two will actually be. The first season adapted Margaret Atwood’s original novel, with special relevance in them ending the same way. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this become an anthology series, each new Tale focusing on another Handmaid.

Perhaps that’s why Alexis Bledel, who played Emily/Ofglen in the first season, is the only casting we know about so far. Maybe we’re headed into Emily’s story now, and without Bledel locked down early, development might have been handicapped.

Or maybe we’ll follow on directly after the events of the first season. Each of these ideas would have to answer a similar question…

Guesswork! In any case, we’re bound to hear a lot more in the coming months, and when we do, we’ll pass it on to you.