The Missing Series 2: cast, locations, and five other things to know as David Morrissey joins the BBC thriller

The twist-filled series is back with a brand new plot – and plenty of surprises
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Ben Travis12 October 2016

When it first aired on the BBC in 2014, The Missing set itself apart from your average crime thriller with its grounded and gritty (but still twist-filled) take on the missing person drama.

Now it’s back for a second series that new viewers can hop straight into. Here’s what you need to know.

1) It’s a whole new story

Those hoping for a continuation of James Nesbitt’s character in Series 1 won’t find it here – The Missing has been set up as an anthology show, meaning the new series brings a whole new plot and a different set of characters.

David Morrissey as Sam Webster 
BBC/New Pictures/Sophie Mutevelian

2) It’s about what happens when a missing person is actually found

While the first series followed father Tony’s increasing desperation as he searched for his missing son across the span of nearly a decade, Series 2 opens with a missing person making an unexpected return.

British woman Alice Webster staggers into German town Eckhausen after an 11-year absence, stunning the local community with her re-appearance.

It soon turns out she’s not the only person who has gone missing - and she may hold information about Sophie Giroux, another girl who disappeared around the same time.

3) It’s told across two timelines

One strand of the story is set in 2014 when Alice first reappears in Eckhausen – following the impact of her initial return.

The series also follows the characters in the present day, where cracks between the Webster family members have exacerbated over the course of two years.

Keeley Hawes as Gemma Webster 
BBC/New Pictures/Sophie Mutevelian

4) The cast is impressive

Missing girls Alice is played by relative newcomer Abigail Hardingham, but there are some familiar faces in the rest of the cast.

Alice’s parents Sam and Gemma are played by David Morrissey and Keeley Hawes respectively, while Roger Allam also pops up.

“I enjoyed the first season so much that I was really interested in the second series,” says Morrissey.

“And by the end of the first episode, I thought it was fantastic. It sets up the scene, sets up the story, the characters and their dilemmas."

5) There’s one familiar face

Despite being an anthology show, there is one returning cast member from Series 1 - Tchéky Karyo, who plays detective Julien Baptiste.

Having previously investigation Giroux’s disappearance, he comes out of retirement to see if he can get some closure on the case.

“What I love about [Julien] is he’s a man of action, but he’s also a deep thinker,” says Karyo. “It’s interesting because even when he’s in a moment of action, he never forgets to think or to express something about the situation.

“For him… to follow these monsters who did these unspeakable crimes, it’s not a risk, it’s a responsibility.”

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6) It’s partly set in Iraq

Series 2 of The Missing is going into totally different territory – and with a war-based storyline it partly takes place in Iraq.

Writer Jack Williams explains that the two timelines are distinct in their settings, with the 2014 segment taking place in Germany, and the present day in the middle east.

“It makes you wonder how we got there, and how the two are connected,” he explains.

“It also furthered the theme of freedom versus imprisonment. It’s not just in Iraq, but in Northern Iraq, in a disputed region, between Kurdish soldiers, and ISIL soldiers."

7) It was filmed in Germany, Belgium and Morocco

The 2014 segments of the show were shot in Germany and Belgium, with the Belgian town of Malmedy being a key location for the town of Eckhausen.

The Iraq scenes were filmed in Morocco, were producers constructed “burned-our and destroyed buildings” in the desert sands.

BBC One, 9pm

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