David Farnor | On 18, Jul 2017

Top of the Lake Season 2 to premiere as a box set on BBC iPlayer

Top of the Lake returns this month for a second season – and it will be doing so with a vengeance, as all episodes land on BBC iPlayer at once.

Jane Campion’s acclaimed series recently made history as the first television show to premiere at Cannes Film Festival and will see Elisabeth Moss reprise her Golden Globe-winning role as Detective Robin Griffin for a new run. She will be joined by Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie (Game Of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

Also joining the cast are David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures, Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell) and Ewen Leslie (The Daughter).

Top Of The Lake: China Girl is a crime mystery story that finds Griffin recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin discovers ‘China Girl’ didn’t die alone.

Robin looks to the investigation to restore herself, but her problems are personal. Haunted by a daughter given up at birth, Robin desperately wants to find her, yet dreads revealing the truth of her conception. But her search to discover ‘China Girl’s’ identity will take her into the city’s darkest recesses and closer than she could have imagined to the secrets of her own heart.

The decision to release it as a full box set follows success with the tactic this year for the BBC, as shows such as Taboo, White Gold and Peter Kay’s Car Share have all been given the iPlayer binge-watch treatment. White Gold has already been renewed for Season 2, after 5 million views made it the second biggest comedy of 2017. Car Share’s second run raced past 10 million views, making it the biggest comedy of 2017.

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “It is imperative that we continue to explore and offer a range of ways to watch our dramas and I believe BBC Two and Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake: China Girl is the perfect offering as the next full series to premiere on BBC iPlayer.

“It’s a captivating watch, a six-part movie which takes you into a murky world as Robin follows unexpected leads to solve a darkly disturbing case. I’m thrilled we are able to give the viewers the opportunity to get engrossed into all six episodes at once on BBC iPlayer, or watch week by week on BBC Two.”

The first episode Top Of The Lake: China Girl will broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm on Thursday 27th July, with the full box set then available on BBC iPlayer from 10pm. For more on Top of the Lake, see our review of Season 1 – plus where to watch it online.

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