David Farnor | On 03, Jun 2021

A second season of The Beast Must Die is already in the works at BritBox UK, just a week after the show’s debut.

The streaming service’s first original drama commission is a revenge thriller that tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son. Leading the ensemble are Jared Harris and Cush Jumbo, with Billy Howle (MotherFatherSon, On Chesil Beach) co-starring as troubled cop Nigel Strangeways.

The first two episodes launched on BritBox UK on 27th May, with the show becoming the service’s best-performing launch of 2021 to date.

“It’s clear that BritBox has a real page-turner on its hands,” we wrote in our review.

Now, a second season is already in development with producers New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free. Entitled A Sword in my Bones, it is based on an original story created by screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (The Beast Must Die, Shetland, Vera). Howle is mooted to return in the role of Detective Nigel Strangeways.

Howle said: ‘I 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. I would relish the opportunity to take on the role of Strangeways again and am really excited by the prospect of this next chapter.”

Will Harrison, BritBox UK MD, added: “We 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.”

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