Channel 5 has announced that its acclaimed crime drama Cooper & Fry, featuring actors from Coronation Street and Doctor Who, will return for a second season. The series, based on Stephen Booth's best-selling novels, premiered last year to significant acclaim, following two mismatched detectives investigating mysterious deaths in the Peak District.
Series Renewal and Episode Details
On Monday, Channel 5 confirmed that Cooper & Fry will return next year with eight hour-long episodes, a notable expansion from the first season's four 90-minute installments. The synopsis for season two states: "Building on the unique friendship forged in series 1, Ben and Diane will navigate cases steeped in the legendary folklore of the area, all while battling each other’s conflicting investigation styles and facing their complicated personal lives head on." The new season draws inspiration from Booth's novels The Devil's Edge, Fall Down Dead, One Last Breath, and The Murder Road, with each story spanning two episodes.
Cast and Guest Stars
The series stars Robert James-Collier as DC Ben Cooper and Mandip Gill as DC Diane Fry. James-Collier, known for his roles in Shameless, Casualty, and as Liam Connor on Coronation Street (2006-2008), is also famous for playing Thomas Barrow on Downton Abbey for five years, a role he reprised in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Mandip Gill played Yazmin Khan, the Thirteenth Doctor's companion, throughout Jodie Whittaker's tenure on Doctor Who (series 11-13 and 2022 specials). Since leaving the show, she has appeared in Big Lizard and Can You Keep a Secret?
Returning cast members include Lorcan Cranitch (Blue Lights) as DI Hitchens and Charlotte Bradley (The Dry) as Isobel Cooper. Several guest actors will appear, including Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead), Scott Graham (Vikings), and Kathy Rose O'Brien (Small Town, Big Story).
Reactions and Praise
Robert James-Collier expressed his excitement: "I'm thrilled to be back playing DC Ben Cooper along with my good friend Mandip Gill in the role of Diane Fry. The audience really warmed to the first series of Cooper & Fry and we hope they will again, so stay tuned as we have lots more murders to solve and all sorts of strange goings-on down in Edendale." Mandip Gill added: "I’m thrilled to be returning to Cooper & Fry after the brilliant reaction to series 1. It’s a real pleasure to be working alongside Rob again and I’m excited for audiences to see where the story takes us this time."
Paul Testar, commissioning editor for Channel 5, said in a statement: "Cooper & Fry proved to be a huge hit with 5’s audience and we’re incredibly excited to bring more of Stephen Booth’s novels to life. Rob and Mandip make a formidable detective duo, and we can’t wait to see what Cooper and Fry get their teeth into this series."
