The Last Kingdom series two will be co-produced by BBC2 and Netflix
The Viking v Saxon drama is returning in 2017 with Thirteen's Richard Rankin and Peter McDonald joining the cast
Axe-filled historical drama The Last Kingdom may be set long ago in 878 but the way it's being produced is very modern indeed. The second series, which will air in 2017, sees Netflix climb aboard, co-producing the series along with the BBC, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal.
The bloody Viking v Saxon series, based on Bernard Cornwell’s best-selling series of novels, also gets some new cast members, with Thirteen's Richard Rankin and Peter McDonald, The Bridge's Thure Lindhardt and Legend's Millie Brady joining original actors Alexander Dreymon, David Dawson and Emily Cox.
As we return to the action, Uhtred (Dreymon) continues his fight for his native land of Northumbria. Having given his sword to King Alfred, he emarks on his voyage north to avenge Earl Ragnar's death and recapture his ancestral lands of Bebbanburg. Alfred (Dawson), meanwhile, sets his sites on the wild lands of the north.
Filming has begun in Budapest on the warrior-filled drama which is one of several programmes to be co-produced by the BBC and an on-demand service. Ripper Street has been a co-production between BBC1 and Amazon since series three, and the upcoming star-filled remake of Watership Down will be created by BBC1 alongside Netflix.
Series two of The Last Kingdom will premiere in 2017 on BBC2 in the UK and on Netflix outside of the UK.
