‘World on Fire’ boss says ‘riveting’ Season 2 is ‘worth the wait’
It sounds like World on Fire will be epic as ever when it finally returns in 2023.
Three years after its first season, the Second World War drama started production on six new episodes last month.
From the makers of Poldark and Endeavour, World on Fire was a hit when it premiered on BBC One in 2019, receiving great reviews.
A second season was officially announced in November 2019, but the planned 2020 shoot was delayed by the pandemic.
Well, shooting is now underway in Northern Ireland, and we’ve got some new details about to expect in Season 2!
Susanne Simpson, executive producer for Masterpiece at PBS, has promised that “Peter Bowker’s riveting scripts” for the new season “will definitely be worth the wait.”
She commented: “World on Fire captivated our Masterpiece audience and we’re thrilled to bring them another season of this ambitious World War 2 drama.”
Simpson also revealed that the “talented returning cast” will be joined by “some intriguing new characters.”
We already know that one of those new faces is Scottish actor Mark Bonnar, playing a character called Sir James Danemere.
Bonnar is best known for his roles in Guilt, Shetland, Unforgotten, and Line of Duty.
Sadly, it seems like a few original actors from Season 1 won’t return.
While it’s a shame not everyone will be back, executive producer Helen Ziegler has teased: “Peter Bowker gives us an extraordinary insight into the second year of World War Two with his unique humanity, humour and pathos.”
She added: “This is a drama which poses the question – how do you survive when everything around you has changed unimaginably?”
Season 2 will premiere next year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on PBS in the US.
No official release date has been announced yet, but we’ve done some calculations to estimate when it might air.
Addressing the very long gap between seasons, World on Fire creator and writer Peter 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.”
He spoke of it being “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.”
Hinting at where the story will take us in Season 2, Bowker revealed: “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.”
This week World on Fire executive producer Susanne Simpson announced details of a new TV series exploring the public and private life of Clementine Churchill.
Mrs Churchill will follow the wife of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill through pivotal moments of her life.
World on Fire is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.