Filming has started on the second series of the acclaimed, award-winning Gaelic drama An t-Eilean (The Island). Sorcha Groundsell reprises her role as Kat Crichton alongside Sam James Smith who returns as Ruaraidh Maclean.
Joining the second series are: Ava Mackinnon, Owen Sutcliffe, Tanith Munro, Aidan O’Callaghan (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Debbie Mackay (Bannan), Yolanda Mitchell (Mayflies), Jamie Quinn (Two Doors Down), Roxie Mohebbi (The New Legends of Monkey) and Àdhamh Ó Broin.
Created by Nicholas Osborne and co-written with Mairead Hamilton, the new series features a gripping new mystery filming largely on location in the Western Isles and the mainland.
The 4x47’ drama is produced by Black Camel Pictures for BBC ALBA, BBC FOUR and BBC iPlayer.
It opens with Kat Crichton (Sorcha Groundsell), now a sergeant frustrated both at work and home, caring for her ill father and dealing with petty local crime. However, when the body of a young woman washes up underneath a local bridge, Kat is thrust into the hunt for a killer stalking the islands. As the investigation deepens, it uncovers the hidden lives and devastating secrets of the community’s young people, forcing Kat to confront both the case and her own complicated ties to the place she calls home.
When Ruaraidh Maclean (Sam James Smith), now running the local youth group, shares his suspicion that there are other missing young islanders he finds himself drawn back in to Kat’s world as the case tightens around those closest to home. What follows is a terrifying and twisted game which leads them into a chilling and dangerous hunt for a serial killer.
Bill MacLeod, Commissioning Editor BBC ALBA says: “It’s incredibly exciting to see An t-Eilean begin filming back in Lewis and Harris. The new series makes the most of one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world with a gripping story that feels rooted and relevant.”
Arabella Page Croft, Executive Producer at Black Camel Pictures says: “It’s simply fantastic to be in production with a second series of An t-Eilean. There’s a compelling confidence within the cast and crew and we all share a profound ambition to give the audience an even more atmospheric, tense and thrilling island investigation with Kat Crichton back at the helm.”
David Smith, Director of Screen at Screen Scotland said: “An t-Eilean delivered on our shared ambition for the production, proving that audiences are always up for a cracking thriller. After the incredible success of series 1, it is great to maintain that momentum. Ambitious projects such as of An t-Eilean 2 raise the bar and audience appetite for high-end Gaelic drama here and abroad. We can’t wait for audiences in Scotland and internationally to see series two.”
An t-Eilean series two is funded by MG ALBA, BBC, Screen Scotland, Black Camel Pictures, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The series is produced in association with All3Media International which acts as global partner. Tom Sullivan returns as Director with Mairead Hamilton as Co-Director.
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Image credits
Header image: Black Camel Pictures / BBC Alba / John Maher
Second image: Black Camel Pictures