Showtrial | Series 2 Preview (BBC One)

Hit anthology legal mystery Showtrial, made by World Productions returns for a second series written by Ben Richards, The fictional five-part drama will this time focus on the high profile case of ‘Officer X’ - a policeman accused of murdering a climate change activist.

Leading the cast of series two are Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once) alongside Nathalie Armin (Unforgotten), Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones), Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper), Tom Padley (Silent Witness), Kerrie Hayes (Blue Jean) and Barney Fishwick (Living) and Francesca Annis (Flesh and Blood).

When high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood (Barney Fishwick) is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to apparently identify his killer - a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed Officer X? What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus’ death a tragic accident or pre-meditated murder?

From the victim's last breath to the jury’s final verdict, Showtrial introduces us to the charismatic and cocky police officer Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha); Sam Malik (Adeel Akhtar) an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Nathalie Armin) a driven CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused.

As public outrage reaches fever-pitch, the series asks what happens when a trial is dominated by cultural divisions and if the truth is ever clear cut. Is a fair trial even possible when tensions are riding so high?

The new series also stars Nina Toussaint-White (Bodyguard), Zoe Telford (Men Only), Ali Khan (A Haunting in Venice), Daniel Kendrick (Inside Man), Frankie Wilson (Against the Ice), Anna Próchniak (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), Anna Wilson Jones (Victoria), John Light (Around the World in 80 Days), Aidan McArdle (Spy/Master), Daisy Badger (The Sandman), Flora Montgomery (The Crown), Pearce Quigley (Detectorists), John Marquez (Doc Martin) and Anna Healy (Mother’s Day).

Showtrial returns Sunday 6th October at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.