Lesley Manville among stars returning for series two of World On Fire
Filming is currently underway for the new series of the hit BBC drama which will air in 2023.
Lesley Manville and Jonah Hauer-King are among the stars returning for the second series of the hit BBC drama World On Fire.
The new six-part series will follow the second year of the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people from Britain, France, Germany and North Africa.
Manville, who will reprise her role as Robina, said: “It’s wonderful to be bringing Peter Bowker’s epic scripts to life again.
“Rich characters telling great, human stories set against the backdrop of World War Two. It’s a feast.”
Hauer-King will return to play Harry alongside Julia Brown as Lois, Zofia Wichlacz as Kasia, Blake Harrison as Stan, Eugenie Derouand as Henriette, Eryk Biedunkiewicz as Jan and Cel Spellman as Joe.
Among the stars joining the original cast for series two is Line of Duty’s Mark Bonnar as Sir James Danemere, Resident Evil’s Ahad Raza Mir as Rajib and Runaways’ Gregg Sulkin as David.
The first series, which told the story of the first year of the war, aired on BBC One and iPlayer in Autumn 2019 and featured Oscar winner Helen Hunt.
The six new episodes have been written by series creator Peter Bowker, Rachel Bennette and Matt Jones, with Mammoth Screen producing the show.
It will explore new areas including the North African desert, where “British troops struggled alongside Indian sappers and Australian diggers to adapt to a very different kind of combat”.
World On Fire creator and writer, Bowker said: “The second season of World On Fire has been a long wait due to a certain pandemic and this makes the beginning of filming especially exciting.
“It has been a real joy to pick up the story with our inspirational cast, both our established regulars and new and exciting talent who have embraced the show’s scale and ambition.
“How the conflict played out in North Africa is a fascinating and little explored history and we are aiming to redress that balance with stories of struggle and friendship.
“Our diverse cast will continue to reflect the global nature of the conflict.”
Director of television at Mammoth Screen, Helen Ziegler, added: “Peter Bowker gives us an extraordinary insight into the second year of World War Two with his unique humanity, humour and pathos.
“This is a drama which poses the question: how do you survive when everything around you has changed unimaginably?
“We are absolutely thrilled to be returning for this epic and adrenalised series two of World On Fire, with our wonderful returning cast joined by a host of new characters.”
Ben Irving, acting director of BBC Drama, noted it was a “real pleasure” to see filming for the second series underway as he feels the series provides “a range of intriguing, untold stories that put ordinary people at the centre of history”.
Filming on series two is currently underway in Northern Ireland and it is due to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2023.
