World War II Drama ‘Home Fires’ to Get a Second Season
Home Fires follows the story of a group of inspirational women in a rural Cheshire community. Led by the forthright and fiery Frances Barden (Downton Abbey’s Samantha Bond) and the authoritative Joyce Cameron (Francesa Annis), the ladies under the auspices of the Great Paxford Women’s Institute discover inner resources that chance their lives forever.
Through their own strength and resourcefulness, the eclectic band of local women – Frances’s sister Sarah, (Ruth Gemmill), downtrodden neighbour Pat Simms (Claire Rushbrook), pharmacist Erica (Frances Grey), local farmer Steph (Clare Calbraith) bookkeeper Alison (Fenella Woolgar), school teacher Teresa (Leanne Best) and butcher’s wife Miriam (Claire Price) – discover ways of improving the lives of their fellow villagers and offer a support network at a time of impending danger and crisis.
As the conflict takes hold and the separation from their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers becomes more intensely painful and acute, the women rely heavily upon one another and the friendships forged through village life.
So that’s a pretty vague description yet? Seems safe to assume that the second season will largely be an extension of the same sorts of themes we’ve seen in the first. (This vague language is probably predominantly due to the fact that the renewal was announced in the middle of the Season 1 broadcast and the network didn’t want to give anything away about the remaining episodes.)
“We’ve been really pleased with how viewers have taken Home Fires to their heart,” ITV Director of Drama Steve November said in a statement in June. “Through (creator) Simon Block’s wonderfully observed scripts, and the characters he’s created, we’ve come to know real women who kept the home fires burning throughout the Second World War. Their war effort is an intriguing aspect of our national social history and we’re delighted the women will be reunited for a second series.”
The second season will also be comprised of six episodes. Filming began in Chesire in early September and at the moment it looks like Home Fires will probably be slated for an early 2016 transmission in the UK. Whether that means that US audiences will be waiting for Fall to see Season 2 is still up in the air at this point, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear anything!
Thoughts? Excited about the prospect of more Home Fires? (The show turned out to be surprisingly charming in my opinion so will be interested to hear what you guys think. Hit the comments.)
