Rebus season 2 gets major update from BBC as former Coronation Street and Taggart star joins the cast

John Rebus is officially back in action for season 2 of the BBC adaptation of Ian Rankin’s acclaimed crime novels.

Filming has kicked off in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a number of new faces set to appear alongside Outlander’s Richard Rankin as a younger version of the eponymous detective.

One such addition is John Michie, best known for his roles in Taggart, Coronation Street and Holby City, and most recently seen in Karen Pirie and Ridley.

Also joining the cast are Stephen McCole (Shetland, Vigil), Emily Barber (The Wayfinders, Mobland), Lorne MacFadyen (Starstruck, Operation Mincemeat), Conor Berry (Vigil, Karen Pirie), Ivan Ivashkin (The Capture, Bloods), Olga Safronova (The Fatigued, Second Spring), Douglas Russell (Adolescence, Department Q), Alexis Rodney (Death in Paradise, Mix Tape), Reece Montague (The Primrose Railway Children) and Joshua Haynes (Crime, Granite Harbour).

They will appear alongside several familiar faces, including Brian Ferguson as Rebus’s brother Michael, Neshla Caplan as Michael’s wife Chrissie, Amy Manson as Rebus’s ex-wife Rhona, and Stuart Bowman as Rebus’s nemesis Ger Cafferty.

The sophomore season, once again written by Gregory Burke, will “continue to explore Rebus’s complex world as he navigates Scottish crime and personal conflict”, examining “the links between violent criminals and the professional bourgeois world of law and finance, where police sometimes fear to tread”.

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At the end of season 1, Rebus got his family back, but not in the way he had hoped.

Lockie, Rhona’s new partner, was murdered by a masked gunman, who shot him dead immediately after he opened his front door.

Before the attack, the fund manager, who was involved in some dodgy dealings of his own, had threatened to take all of businessman-turned-gangster Darryl’s money after the latter lost some of Lockie’s cash.

But, as you’d expect, Darryl didn’t take kindly to being threatened, and a short time later, Rhona’s husband was murdered.

Meanwhile, Michael Rebus went on the run. He had planned to hand himself in after finding himself in a tight spot of his own, but Chrissie encouraged him to take the drug money he had stolen from Cafferty and flee.

Michael also shot dead the nephew of Northern Irish gangster Billy Cochrane, who has links to the Ulster Defence Association, meaning they’ll be looking for revenge too — placing everyone in Michael’s life in danger.

“There’s a real sense of excitement about stepping back into Rebus’s world,” said Rankin. “We were incredibly fortunate with the team we assembled for the first series, and it’s a genuine pleasure to be returning alongside so many familiar faces, both in front of and behind the camera.

“At the same time, we’re welcoming some fantastic new talent this season, and it’s already exciting to see the energy, ideas and depth they’re bringing to the story.”

The actor also praised the “richly complex” nature of his character, adding: “He’s fiercely driven, deeply flawed, endlessly determined and often at war with himself. Returning to him, there’s still so much to discover, with many, many layers of the character left to explore.

“This next chapter promises to challenge him in ways that I’m really looking forward to bringing to life.”

Also returning are Lucie Shorthouse (DC Siobhan Clarke), Noof Ousellam (Darryl Christie), Thoren Ferguson (Malcolm Fox), Mia McKenzie (Sammy Rebus), Andrew John Tait (Neil MacKenzie) and Cassidy Little (Cammy).

Season 2 will debut in 2027.

Rebus airs on BBC One and iPlayer.

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