‘World on Fire’ writer reveals how many seasons he has planned

The creator of World on Fire says he hopes to dramatise the entire Second World War.

The first season of BBC One’s epic drama series opened with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and concluded with the Battle of Britain in 1940.

From the makers of Poldark, World on Fire launched in the UK last September, marking 80 years since the outbreak of World War II.

The commission of a second season was confirmed by the BBC shortly following Season 1’s finale.

Spanning the years 1940 to 1941, the second season of World on Fire is expected to begin filming later this year for broadcast in 2021.

All the main cast are likely to return, including Oscar-winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets), Sharpe star Sean Bean, Lesley Manville (Mum), Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women) and Julia Brown (The Last Kingdom).

The show’s creator Peter Bowker revealed to Radio Times that he’s already mapped out the show’s upcoming storylines.

He said: “I know what happens over six series for the main characters.”

Six seasons of World on Fire sounds good to us!

Bowker explained: “If you pitch a show, people will often ask ‘What happens in series four, episode three? What happens to this character?’ You’ve got to know and not be English about it.”

Executive producer Damien Timmer was a bit less committal but still sounded positive about a long future for World on Fire, commenting: “There’s more war and there are more years and it’s possible.”

Season 1 began airing in the US in April on Sunday nights on PBS Masterpiece.

World on Fire is available on DVD on Amazon.