Nesbitt promises more shocks as BBC show Bloodlands returns

The TV show is returning for its second season and will follow off from season one’s damning revelation that DCI Tom Brannick was notorious assassin Goliath. 

With the first episode of season two airing on Sunday, Nesbitt, who plays Brannick, believes the audience do not know what will happen next. 

“So much has happened in the world since Bloodlands, and so I think this one is definitely breathing more, and I think the storyline is very interesting – the audience knows something that no one else does,” he said. 

“That gives you a really interesting platform to see how the chinks in his facade begin to happen, the audience is one step ahead but they don’t know what Tom [Brannick] is about to do. 

“He’s a policeman who is a murderer, a liar but someone who, I think, you are intrigued by, you can also see the human side to him, the relationship with his daughter, the pain that he has felt in his life, the disappearance of his wife.” 

James Nesbitt as Tom Brannick (Image: Steffan Hill/BBC/PA)

The new season will also see the arrival of Victoria Smurfit who starred alongside Nesbitt in the relationship drama, Cold Feet. 

She said her character, Olivia was “intriguing” and that “she’s a really, really interesting woman to play. Just when you think you know what she’s thinking, you don’t.” 

Smurfit also praised the production of the show, saying: “It’s just so lovely. I’d work here again in a heartbeat. 

“Watching the crews work here in Northern Ireland is sort of like watching a Chinese dragon, everybody is moving and undulating around the set. 

“The community of the different departments of the crew is just astonishing. There’s no shouting or roaring, it’s just a joy to watch.”

Steffan Hill/BBC/PA (Image: Steffan Hill/BBC/PA)

Charlene McKenna will also return as DS Niamh McGovern and hinted at the second season being better than the last. 

“I think it’s really good… you never want to say that because you never want to jinx anything, but it’s really strong,” she said, adding that she enjoys the fact that the audience now knows about Brannick’s secret identity, but the rest of the characters do not.” 

“It’s nice, you guys knowing, and us sniffing, and the introduction of Smurfit’s character adds a really, really gritty and antagonistic element.” 

She described her character as the “conscience of the piece”. 

“I feel like she is saying what the audience want to say to him, I do think Niamh is a good egg… but she’s getting pushed, she is getting more cornered, which I think is a lovely problem to put her in. 

“I think people resonate with her, and they want her to get him, to crack it.” 

Is there a Bloodlands season two? 

Yes. Season two will officially debut on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Sunday (September 18) at 9:05pm. 

What is the story behind Bloodlands? 

Bloodlands takes place in Northern Ireland and follows the story of detectives Tom Brannick and Niamh McGovern as they attempt to solve a cold case linked to Brannick's hidden past.