BBC1 is bringing Blue Lights back to our screens for a second series from Monday, April 15, a year after the show first aired. If you haven't had the chance to catch up or rewatch it yet on iPlayer, here's a quick recap of what went down last time.
Series 1 saw new recruits Grace, Annie, and Tommy join the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), discovering threats on both sides of the law. The rookie constables found themselves grappling with their roles as police officers, clashing with MI5 agents and associates of gangster James McIntyre.
Be warned, there are spoilers ahead. Here's a reminder of the main events in Series 1 and what it means for the story and characters in Series 2.
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We were all shocked in episode 5 when Richard Dormer's character Constable Gerry Cliff died after he was shot multiple times when interrupting a gun deal. Constable Jen Robinson (Hannah McClean) did her best to try to save him but to no avail, though she managed to take out his killer, drug dealer Eoin (Art Campion). We saw Gerry's wife, desk sergeant Sandra (Andi Osho), say a final goodbye at his bedside.
Viewers had already learned that James McIntyre (John Lynch) was in cahoots with MI5 as an informant, in return for his family's safety. Grace (Sian Brooke) was able to get details of the McIntyres' meeting place and then Tommy (Nathan Braniff) and the others swooped in to bring the gangsters to justice. So where does that leave us for Series 2?
We pick up the story a year later as the next series begins, but the impact of the tragic events is still being felt. Nathan said in an interview ahead of Series 2: "Tommy is still grieving despite it being a year since Gerry's death. I think it's something that will stay with Tommy for the whole of his police career.
"It was very difficult from the start but it was the same for everyone on the unit as Gerry occupied a special place for them all. However, there are a few new faces in the second series that Tommy doesn’t necessarily see eye to eye with and that leads to some issues further into the story.
"In Tommy's personal life we see him having a love interest in the second series. You see how Tommy's confidence with women is extremely low when it comes to dating and it’s like he's going through this for the first time. Although he's not green to the job anymore, he is still a bit green when it comes to navigating his new love interest."
He added: "Some things needed to change for Tommy from series one to series two and for me personally as an actor. I lost a bit of weight, which I thought was right for the character and I started doing a bit of kickboxing to toughen Tommy up a little bit.
"He needed to toughen up in order to survive in the police force in Northern Ireland. As a result we see Tommy sticking up for himself more and we see that tenacity and diligence pay off for him."
Co-creator Declan Lawn says: "All good things come from trauma and tragedy at their heart. The death of Gerry was calculated for us because we knew it was going to be the genesis of series two.
"We knew that tragedy would bond the section together and they would never forget him and the show would never forget him. It’s about how great things can come from grief. My hope is when the audience get to the end of series two that no one asks 'why did you kill Gerry?'"
Gerry's wife Sandra has progressed considerably from her desk duties in Series 2. Andi Osho tells us: "There's a question mark at the top of the show for Sandra over whether or not she should stay and what the job and future look like for her after everything that happened in the first season. Gerry was the reason she was in Belfast in the first place and she's quite close to police retirement age so she's really having to consider what’s next.
"Sandra is no longer behind the custody desk. She's been released out into the wild! She's replaced Helen as the section skipper for the response team and that brings with it a different level of responsibility. She now has to deal with a lot of different elements in her working day but I think she probably enjoys getting stuck in and appreciates the distraction.
"One of the joys for me in season two was getting out there and dealing with some criminals so I'm delighted that Sandra is out from behind the desk. Not only is that fun to play but I've learnt a lot about what it takes to be a police officer. I love finding the detail. That helps me build the character. How they carry themselves, the kit, the cars, and the uniform, all add a level of authenticity which I think the audience responds to."
She revealed: "In season 2, there's this constant tension between the realities of policing juxtaposed against policing by the book. The response officers are constantly having to make practical decisions, while the senior officers, Nicola, Helen and Canning, are thinking strategically.
"However, those strategic choices don't always make sense for those on the front line and even within that, the senior officers don't always agree on how best to execute these strategies. So basically, there's tension in all directions with flashpoints coming up in every episode."
Blue Lights Series 2 is on BBC1 at 9pm from tonight (April 15). Catch up and watch the full series on BBC iPlayer
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