By Lacy Baugher for Drama on January 6th, 2014

Watch the ITV Trailer for Series 2 of 'The Bletchley Circle', Coming to PBS Stations This Spring

The ladies of the Bletchley Circle (Photo: ITV)
The ladies of the Bletchley Circle (Photo: ITV)
ITV has released a trailer for the highly anticipated second series of female-led mystery series The Bletchley Circle. The period drama follows the story of four women – all former Bletchley Park  codebreakers – who use their skill at deducing patterns and decoding puzzles to solve crimes.

Series 2 will be comprised of four episodes and will tell two self-contained stories, each spread across two of the sixty-minute installments.  This is a bit of a departure from the first series, but not a completely unwelcome one if done well. The new episodes will be set a year after the events of Series 1, and stars Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Stirling, Sophie Rundle and Julie Graham are all set to return.Hettie Morahan will join the cast as another former Bletchley girl who is facing some dark problems of her own.

Per the official press release, here’s what we can expect to see: The first two episodes of Series 2 are called Blood on Their Hands. Viewers find former Bletchley Park girl Alice Merren in prison awaiting trial for murder. Jean stands behind her innocence and tries to reunite the circle in an attempt to help one of their own. Susan is reluctant to get involved after her experience with the twisted serial killer Malcolm Crowley and the danger it posed to her family. Lucy is now getting on well in a clerical job at Scotland Yard and keeping her head down, and Millie is working as a German translator.

Episodes 3 and 4, called Uncustomed Goods, find Millie branching out into what she believes to be an innocent sideline of dealing in unaccustomed goods (translation: the black market). This endeavor leads to her being kidnapped and held in a seedy hotel by some gangsters. On discovering this, Alice goes to Jean and Lucy to help. The girls start to investigate in order to save their friend and, as they do so, uncover a much darker, hidden world of crime.

Take a look for yourselves below – I know it’s only thirty seconds, but it looks fantastic! 

The Bletchley Circle returns to ITV this week in the UK, and Series 2 is set to air in the States on PBS stations nationwide this April. If for some reason, Series 1 flew under your radar, it’s available on Netflix streaming here.

Personally, Series 1 was something of a surprise hit for me – I didn’t expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did, but I thought the cases were interesting and the character work was wonderful. I can’t wait to see where they take these ladies from here. (And with an extra episode to work with, to boot!)

What about you? Are you looking forward to the return of Bletchley? 

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on January 6th, 2014
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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  • ‘The Bletchley Circle’ Series 2: Watch the First PBS Preview

    The wait is almost over – Series 2 of popular, female-driven mystery series The Bletchley Circle premieres on PBS stations nationwide beginning Sunday, April 13. The period drama follows the story of four women, who all possess the extraordinary ability to break codes and recognize patterns, skills honed during their time at the famous Bletchley Park during World War II, site of the United Kingdom’s main decryption establishment. Now, after the war, they use their unique skills to solve crimes.

    Series 2 will be comprised of four episodes, rather than three and tell two separate, self-contained stories, each spread across a pair of sixty-minute installments. Stars Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachel Stirling,Sophie Rundle and Julie Graham are all set to return, and we can expect the addition of a new face to the gang, as well.

    The official PBS trailer for Series 2 has arrived and actually looks quite a bit different than its ITV counterpart which was released to promote the show’s UK return earlier this year. It’s geared a bit more obviously toward those who may have missed out on Series 1, and focuses more on the premise behind the show – and the women who solve crimes – than on the actual plot of the mysteries themselves.

    Watch for yourselves below:

    By Lacy Baugher for Drama on 3/25/2014