Fans of A Discovery of Witches are set to be transported to Elizabethan England in the second season of the hit Sky original drama, adapted from Deborah Harkness’s bestselling All Souls trilogy and currently being produced in Cardiff by award-winning production company Bad Wolf.
This exclusive first look image from season two, shows Matthew (Matthew Goode, Downton Abbey) and Diana (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge) on the streets of Elizabethan London, where they are hiding in time from the Congregation. Here in Elizabethan London they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life.
Set in a world where witches, vampires and daemons secretly live and work alongside humans, hidden in plain sight, season two also sees Steven Cree (Outlander), Sheila Hancock (Doctor Who), James Purefoy (The Following) and Paul Rhys (Vincent and Theo) join the cast.
Cree stars as Gallowglass De Clermont, a vampire and soldier of fortune who is particularly fond of his uncle, Matthew. James Purefoy plays the role of Philippe De Clermont, founder of the Congregation, commander of the Knights of Lazarus, mate of Ysabeau, and stepfather to Matthew. Paul Rhys is Andrew Hubbard, the vampire ruler of all creatures in London in 1590 and Sheila Hancock appears as elder witch Goody Alsop.
The cast for season two also includes Barbara Marten (Casualty) as Queen Elizabeth, Jacob Ifan (Cuffs) as Benjamin Fuchs, Holly Aird (Waking the Dead) as Francoise, Michael Lindall (Deep State) as Sir Walter Raleigh, Adam Sklar (Faceless) as Henry Percy, Joshua Pickering as Jack Blackfriars, Elaine Cassidy (Harper’s Island) as Louise De Clermont, Victoria Yeates (Call the Midwife) as Elizabeth Jackson / Water Witch, Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl) as William Cecil, Lois Chimimba (Doctor Who) as Catherine Streeter/ Fire Witch, Amy McAllister (Philomena) as Marjorie Cooper/Earth Witch, Milo Twomey (Mother, Father, Son) as Pierre and the recently announced Tom Hughes (Victoria) playing Kit Marlowe.
Alongside the Elizabethan action, back in the present day, Diana’s beloved aunts, Sarah and Em, must take shelter with notorious witch hunter Ysabeau De Clermont at her ancestral home, Sept-Tours. Meanwhile, in Oxford, Marcus and Miriam take on Matthew’s mantle to protect daemons Nathaniel and Sophie, whose pregnancy is advancing. And Gerbert, Knox, Satu and Domenico are determined to hunt down every clue they can to Diana’s and Matthew’s disappearance, and the secrets their allies are keeping from them.
Cameron Roach, Sky Studios Director of Drama, said: “After the success of season one, we are really excited for the next instalment of A Discovery of Witches, as we continue to follow the love story of Diana and Matthew and their adventures in Elizabethan London. We have a great cast lined up and a unique historical setting, which we hope will further enchant fans. The hit fantasy series joins a host of new Sky original drama’s we have coming to Sky One this year”.
Jane Tranter, Executive Producer, Bad Wolf, added: “To have such high calibre talent joining an already exceptional ensemble is a testament to Deborah Harkness’ brilliant novels, Pete McTighe and Susie Conklin’s scripts and to the immensely talented cast and crew working to bring all to life. The bar was set high with season one but season two is already shaping up to take fans into a new realm as we follow Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan England. With cast like this they will not be disappointed.”
The ten-part season will also see the return of Owen Teale (Game of Thrones), Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Lindsay Duncan (The Honourable Woman), Valarie Pettiford (Half & Half), Edward Bluemel (The Commuter), Aiysha Hart (Line of Duty), Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead), Malin Buska (The Girl King), Gregg Chillin (Being Human), Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge), Tanya Moodie (Sherlock), Aisling Loftus (War and Peace) and Daniel Ezra (All American).
A Discovery of Witches season two is based on the ‘Shadow of Night’ novel from Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy and will be coming to Sky One and NOW TV next year. Season one was the most popular series on Sky One last year, bewitching nearly 2million viewers and it was nominated for the ‘New Drama’ category at this year’s National TV Awards.
The show was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content, Sky UK and Ireland, and Cameron Roach, Director of Drama, Sky Studios. Kara Manley is the executive producer for Sky. Made by Bad Wolf Limited, A Discovery of Witches Series two is written by Sarah Dollard (Doctor Who, Being Human), Susie Conklin (The Musketeers, Cranford) and Pete McTighe (Doctor Who) who also serve as executive producers alongside co-founders of Bad Wolf, Jane Tranter and Lachlan MacKinnon along with Deborah Harkness. The series is directed by BAFTA award winning Farren Blackburn (The Fades, Daredevil), Philippa Langdale (Skins, Waking the Dead) and Jonathan Teplitzkt (Broadchurch).