Marcella will return to ITV for a second season next year.

Written by Swedish novelist Hans Rosenfeldt, the creator of The Bridge, the crime thriller launched on ITV in April with 8 million viewers and a 29% share of viewing.

Set in contemporary London and described as “Scandinavian noir on the streets of Britain”, the eight-part first season saw Marcella (Anna Friel) get involved in a serial murder case where the modus operandi of the killer bore a striking resemblance to an unsolved spate of killings from a decade ago.

Buy Season 1 on DVD on Amazon here.

Watch the trailer…

Season 2’s commission was announced at the Edinburgh International Television Festival by Hans Rosenfeldt, Buccaneer Media CEO Tony Wood and Anna Friel during a panel session with industry executives.

Hans Rosenfeldt commented: “I was delighted at the reaction to the first season and am thrilled to be revisiting Marcella for ITV. In the second season, the audience will get the opportunity to spend more time in her world, further exploring some of the characters and getting to know them better.”

Executive producer Tony Wood added: “The combination of Hans’s masterful writing, Anna’s gripping performance and Buccaneer’s superb production team struck a chord with viewers. Naturally we’re delighted to be working with ITV to create a second season of Marcella.”

ITV’s Controller of Drama Victoria Fea said: “The audience reaction to Marcella was incredible. We’re delighted to be confirming a second series and to be working with Anna, Hans, Tony and Nicola on a new story. Hans created a compelling character in Marcella and the audience are keen to know what happened next.”

Eight new 60-minute episodes will air on ITV in 2017.

Season 1’s cast included Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael, Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude), Ian Puleston-Davies (Being Human), Nina Sosanya (Last Tango in Halifax), Ray Panthaki (Convenience), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Patrick Baladi (Mistresses) and Harry Lloyd (The Theory of Everything).

Are you looking forward to the return of Marcella? Let us know below…