"A Sleeping Tiger" Wakes in 'Ridley' Season 2 Premiere

Season 2 of Ridley is here, starring Adrian Dunbar as troubled cop Alex Ridley, whose dream of a peaceful retirement was shattered by the murders of his wife and daughter. Murder, in a sense, saved his sanity when his successor, DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), requested in Season 1 that he should be recalled to duty. Now, three years later, in addition to murder as therapy, Ridley has also taken the (very frequent) advice of his colleagues to seek professional help. In a session with Dr. Samantha Larsson (Suzanne Packer), he admits that he sees his dead daughter sometimes. Perfectly normal, she replies.

Hence, the melancholy atmosphere of the series, filmed chiefly in winter on the Lancashire-Yorkshire border, includes Todmorden (standing in as the fictional town of Allerton) and Bolton. The series is surrounded by bleakly beautiful scenery, wandering sheep, clouds with an occasional glimpse of blue sky, and severe stone buildings. Don’t expect the sunny Yorkshire Dales of All Creatures Great & Small or the rugged beauty of Vera’s Northumberland.

The premiere begins with a robbery at a jewelry store by three young men. Shop owner Harry Bentham (John Michie) has installed the latest DNA-based security spray system, marking offenders with a unique solution to his shop. One of the robbers, Ryan Stanford (Ruaridh Mollica), falls off his moped and is arrested. He’s looking at a ten-year sentence, so his reluctance to admit who was behind the robbery seems suspicious, as does the arrival of high-powered attorney Rebecca Bayling (Kris Bohn), who ends the interview with Carol and DCI Paul Goodwin (Terence Maynard). 

Ridley is called in and asked to contact his undercover contact, Tasha Walker (Chloe Harris). She’s working in the Bridge Inn pub with her mother, Joy Walker (Christine Entwisle), and she’s also good friends with Ryan’s pregnant girlfriend, Donna Burnside (Isabelle Smith). However, before they can learn anything, Ryan’s killed in a hit-and-run upon being released on bail. This robbery is officially elevated to a murder inquiry, bearing the hallmarks of being tied to violent robberies financed by organized crime, which already has a task force called Operation Limestone. Forensic officer Dr. Wendy Newstone (Georgie Glen) doubts the van will be identified despite it being a deliberate hit, as there are no witnesses. Donna insists Ryan just took off without explanation, but we know she saw the van driver beckoning and watched Ryan unsuccessfully make a run for it.  

Since discovering she was pregnant, Donna and Ryan have been living with her grandfather, Frank Stanford (John Henshaw), with Ryan swearing he’d turn his life around. Heartbroken, Frank blames the lack of opportunities in a small town, pointing them toward the Bridge Inn, where Ryan’s best friend, Liam Manley (Kerim Hassan), hangs out. To preserve Tasha’s cover, Carol and DC Darren Lakhan (George Bukhari) visit Liam, who claims they weren't BFFs and he was on a decorating job. (Of course, he drives a white van.) Unsurprisingly, Liam pays a return visit to Frank for "condolences," but in reality, he threatens the old man to keep his mouth shut for fear he knows too much.

Over at his own watering hole, Ridley finds pub owner Annie Marling (Julie Graham) behind the bar, chatting with Harry and commiserating over his losses. Ridley irritatingly drops out as tonight's act since he’s on a case. Annie starts booking replacements as Ridley has a moment of uncertainty over approaching Tasha, seeing her as a manifestation of his dead daughter. Thankfully, it's short-lived, and their chitchat reveals Tasha's cover story, which is that she's a veteran who returned from the war zone when her dad died. She claims she became a cop to prove she was better than her father, and she’s confident she can get key players to talk. Tasha agrees to keep close to Donna and learn more about Liam, telling him that rumor has it that Ryan was talking out of turn.

Ridley interrupts Carol and her wife Geri (Bhavna Limbachia) cooing over their baby daughter the following day on the way to the local stud farm owned by Catherine Penrose (Christine Bottomley), one of the calls the lads made from jail. Catherine claims Ryan worked for her for a few weeks; they weren’t close, and she felt it inappropriate to help him after he’d been arrested. Catherine jointly owns the stud with her husband, Simon (Toby Hadoke), although she’s the one who puts in the hard work, and he's in Ireland. At least, that's what Ridley gets out of a chatty groom who claims Ryan and Catherine were lovers. 

As they exit, Carol starts running down the news of the morning, including that Tasha confirmed Liam's false alibi for the time of the murder. (That wasn't what he had in mind when he asked her to get closer to Liam!) Carol suggests Tasha may be too close to Liam and others she’s known all her life. Ridley mutters uneasily, thinking Tasha’s obvious attraction to Liam means she can no longer be trusted or is in danger. Arriving at the station, Ridley meets Harry, who has turned over the shop inventory data to Darren and has made a considerable insurance claim for the stolen jewelry. He claims he'd just received a new inventory shipment and is concerned about the shop's future. 

Darren has intel on attorney Rebecca Bayling, who handled Ryan's release. She works for local businessman Terry Sansom (Matt Bardock). Ridley and Carol know him well; the owner of a haulage company is probably a front for illegal activities and has a history of dubious financial dealings. Ridley and Carol visit Rebecca, who's not above board either, hoping to pressure her into admitting she tipped Terry about Ryan’s involvement in the robbery. She admits Ryan worked for Terry but warns them off, saying Terry is well protected. Carol worries they should listen, but Ridley claims upsetting violent people is a viable strategy. Anyway, Terry can’t remember Ryan, one of many casual workers who've passed through. (He is an honest businessman who helps the community. His business is clean!) 

Tasha and Donna are out for a walk when the infamous white van appears, driven by Callum Douglas (Kaya Moore). Donna recognizes Callum as the driver who killed Ryan and then sees Liam in the van with him. Callum leans out and starts making threats until Liam tells the guy to back off, but it's clear he's onto Tasha, as clearly as she and Liam are into each other. Tasha phones Ridley to tell him about Callum Douglas’s involvement in the incident. Callum is arrested and given a blood test, which places him at the scene of the crime. He won’t talk and vehemently denies killing Ryan, but after some softening up, he finally admits that the robbery money was taken to the Penroses’ stud farm.

Darren is back, having dug into robbery victim Harry Bentham’s financial background. His finances have been made even more unstable by a recent half-million investment in a diamond mine, where the stock value has taken a recent, major hit, implying Harry's not so squeaky clean after all. (He’s also pursuing Annie at the club, which makes him suspicious in Ridley’s eyes.) Ridley finds Harry at the shop and mentions the diamond mine calamity. Harry is upset but admits he has to refit and restock the shop and find new employees since his crew is too scared to return. Off the record, he knows Terry Sansom and his reputation, and he is convinced that the hauling business is a front for illegal activities. He suggests Ridley ask Annie for a character reference.

Liam visits Tasha at the pub, asks her to look after a bag of clothes worn at the robbery, and implicates him. She refuses at first and then takes them. Sitting at the bar, Donna sees their interaction and calls the police. Just as Tasha and her mother are fighting over her taste in men and other life choices, the police arrive with a warrant and search the apartment, quickly finding the clothes. Tasha is arrested, and Ridley, back at the police station, is horrified to see her waiting in an interview room. If her cover is blown, she could be in real danger, and the case will collapse.

Ridley Season 2 continues with new episodes on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on most local PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. PBS Passport members will have access to all episodes of Ridley Season 2 to watch as a binge (or as initially intended, i.e., as four two-hour-long episodes). As always, check your local listings and streamers.