Sumith Prasad
The filming of the second season of PBS’ British series ‘Ridley’ is set to begin in September in England. The metropolitan county of Greater Manchester will reportedly host the production of the sophomore round for filming. The show revolves around Alex Ridley, a former detective who is brought back to the force as a consultant to assist in the investigations of his mentee Carol Farman, the newly promoted detective inspector.
Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester, is one of the filming locations of the show’s first season. The shooting of the second installment may also happen in Lancashire, a neighboring county of Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire. These two regions are the principal filming locations of the first round of the crime drama.
After London, Greater Manchester is one of the country’s busiest film and television production hubs. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger,’ ‘Darkest Hour,’ ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘Red Rose,’ ‘Devs,’ etc. are some of the famed productions shot in the county. Lancashire, on the other hand, is a lensing location of projects such as ‘Phantom Thread,’ ‘Stay Close,’ Cate Blanchett-starrer ‘Disclaimer,’ Colin Firth-starrer ‘The King’s Speech,’ etc. Yorkshire previously hosted productions such as ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,’ ‘Bridgerton,’ Tim Burton’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon,’ etc. for filming.
Paul Matthew Thompson, Michael Bhim, and Julia Gilbert wrote the four episodes of the second season. Thompson and Bhim are co-writers of ‘Vera.’ Gilbert is known for writing multiple episodes of ‘Midsomer Murders’ and ‘Holby City.’
Adrian Dunbar returns to the sophomore season to play the protagonist Alex Ridley. “There can be no greater endorsement of hard work and talent than the recommission of a series, and to that end, we have to thank ITV and the British public for taking to ‘Ridley’ in such numbers. We shall certainly work just as hard to keep the standard we have set and I look forward to developing Ridley as a character over the next four episodes,” Dunbar said about the renewal of the series for a second round in a statement. The actor is known for playing Patrick Brontë in ‘Emily,’ Ted Hastings in ‘Line of Duty,’ Jim Hogan in ‘Blood,’ etc.
Bronagh Waugh will join Dunbar to play DI Carol Farman. The actress is known for portraying Sally Ann Spector in ‘The Fall,’ Jessica Reid in ‘Unforgotten,’ and Lucy in ‘Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar.’ Her recent credits include Cara in ‘The Suspect,’ Alison in ‘Our House,’ Manageress in ‘King Gary,’ DC Stella Beckett in ‘Viewpoint,’ Kathy Maguire in ‘Derry Girls,’ etc. The cast of the first season includes George Bukhari as DC Darren Lakhan, Georgie Glen as Dr. Wendy Newstone, Terence Maynard as DCI Paul Goodwin, Julie Graham as Annie Marling, and Bhavna Limbachia as Geri Farman.
“We can’t wait to welcome Adrian back to ITV as we return to the beautiful Lancashire countryside for four brand new cases for Ridley and the team to investigate. And we’re looking forward to working with West Road Pictures and Paul Matthew Thompson on what promises to be another great series,” ITV drama commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones said about the upcoming season in a statement.
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