The BBC has confirmed all four dramas will be returning after topping BBC iPlayer viewing charts in the past 12 months.
The move will help the BBC build a catalogue of popular drama on its streaming service. TV bosses will hope the four new series will drive further record numbers to the iPlayer.
The Tourist, which launched on New Year’s Day on BBC One, is the highest rating BBC drama of the year so far. Following its TV debut, the rest of the series became available as a box set on iPlayer. All six episodes were the most-watched episodes on the iPlayer in January. The series, starring Jamie Dornan and Danielle MacDonald, ended with viewers wondering if that really was the end.
The second biggest drama of the year so far, The Responder with Martin Freeman, reached 10 million viewers on TV and iPlayer within 30 days of broadcast. The second series will once again be set and filmed in Liverpool.
In 2021, Vigil became the BBC’s biggest drama launch since Bodyguard in 2018. The opening episode of the series starring Suranne Jones attracted 13 million viewers within 30 days, with average audiences of 12.6 million for subsequent episodes.
Time: this time a bit different
Prison drama Time, filmed in Liverpool and broadcast last summer had nearly 12 million viewers (+30 days of broadcast) overall. It is the last of the four to be granted a second series. However, the second series will be very different from the first. It will introduce a new cast and this time be set in an all-female prison.
All four dramas are still available on the BBC iPlayer to stream.
Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer says:
“The BBC is on fire creatively and the return of four of our biggest dramas over the last year demonstrates the sheer scale and range of storytelling on the BBC.”