Black Doves season 2 release date speculation, plot theories and news

The first season introduced us to deep undercover informant Helen (Keira Knightley), wife to Prime Ministerial contender Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), who works for – and clashes with – her icy handler Mrs Reed (Sarah Lancashire).

The Black Doves finale saw Helen and her longtime best friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) in a dangerous spot, having just picked a fight with powerful underworld figures, setting up what is sure to be a nail-biting second chapter.

If you're as excited as we are, read on for everything we know so far about Black Doves season 2 – but be warned, there are major spoilers on this page for all the action that unfolds in season 1!

Black Doves season 2 release date speculation

Black Doves season 2 does not yet have a confirmed release date, but we do know that the show will return at some point in 2026.

Black Doves creator Joe Barton previously confirmed that he wouldn't be sticking to the Christmas setting or release window for season 2, explaining that December 2025 is too soon for production and the following year is too long for viewers to wait.

"So I think inevitably it's not going to be a Christmas show," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "But it'll be interesting to see them out of their winter coats."

In that same interview, from mid-December 2024, Barton revealed that he was currently in the midst of writing season 2, with a large amount of work still to do – but suggested that he's optimistic about keeping the wait for new episodes to a minimum.

He added: "We’re figuring it all out and putting it all down on paper. But yeah, we’re going to be filming next year, so hopefully it won’t be too long a wait between series for people. That’s where we’re at."

In January 2025, Barton updated RadioTimes.com on his progress, admitting that it had been "difficult" to pen the second chapter in the story and that he "could be a little bit further along" than he was at that time.

"I just sit down every day and try and write it," he explained. "We'll be fine."

In August 2024, Netflix announced via X (formerly Twitter) that it had renewed Black Doves for a second season in advance of the show's debut, which was a reassuring vote of confidence for fans of Barton's work.

Barton recently told Radio Times magazine that the early season 2 renewal came as a huge surprise.

"It’s never happened before. Most things I work on get cancelled almost instantly," he said. "So, I was all prepared to have a really nervous Christmas this year.

"I was on holiday, and in an Italian supermarket, when I got a call from the producers saying, 'Come home, you need to start writing, we're doing more'."

Black Doves season 2 cast: Who could return?

We expect the trio of high-profile leads to reprise their roles in Black Doves season 2 – those are Keira Knightley as Helen, Ben Whishaw as Sam and Sarah Lancashire as Reed.

There were plenty of familiar faces in the supporting cast too, with Omari Douglas, Andrew Buchan, Ella Lily Hyland and Gabrielle Creevy among the players that seem likely to continue with the series.

On Douglas's character, Sam's estranged ex-boyfriend Michael, Barton explained (via THR): "I love the character, and I love writing for Omari, who’s just such a brilliant actor. He and Ben have brilliant chemistry.

"If [Michael] knows what's good for him he'd definitely stay away from Sam – but maybe he doesn’t."

Alas, it appears that comedy legend Tracey Ullman's appearance was a one-and-done after the shocking events of the season 1 finale, while Andrew Koji may also have filmed his last scenes as Jason – barring any additional flashbacks.

However, showrunner Joe Barton has teased that he's looking for another big star to fill the void left by Ullman's character, with the writer considering names to play an arch-nemesis for Helen and Sam in season 2. More on that as it develops!

For now, here's a refresher on the full Black Doves season 1 cast:

• Keira Knightley as Helen
• Sarah Lancashire as Reed
• Ben Whishaw as Sam
• Andrew Koji as Jason
• Andrew Buchan as Wallace
• Omari Douglas as Michael
• Kathryn Hunter as Lenny
• Ella Lily Hyland as Williams
• Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor
• Sam Troughton as Stephen Yarrick
• Adam Silver as Arnie
• Ken Nwosu as Bill
• Paapa Essiedu as Elmore Fitch
• Adeel Akhtar as Prime Minister Eaves
• Tracey Ullman as Alex
• Finn Bennett as Cole Atwood
• Luther Ford as Hector Newman
• Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming

Black Doves season 2 plot theories: What could happen?

As well as wrapping up a number of mysteries, the Black Doves season 1 ending also hinted at things to come, with two big status quo changes seemingly on the horizon.

The first is that Helen's husband, politician Wallace Webb, seems poised to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as Adeel Akhtar's PM Eaves is set to step down over his role in a cover-up.

That would place Helen in a very powerful – yet precarious – position, opening the door to even more confidential information than she was already receiving, but also placing more eyes on her from security chiefs.

Meanwhile, Sam is also making some big moves, having agreed to take up a role as an enforcer for the Newman crime family, working directly for Hector (whose father and brothers he assassinated years earlier).

The job offer came somewhat under duress, with Hector essentially giving Sam the offer of accepting the gig or leaving London for good, with the latter option being undesirable so long as a life with Michael remains on the table.

Can he keep both sides of his life from merging catastrophically, as was the case years earlier? That's one of the many questions we expect to be answered in Black Doves season 2.

On why the show has resonated with viewers, Barton told The Hollywood Reporter: "I think what people really take away from it is the relationships. It's a hangout show. I think people really like the relationship between Kiera and Ben.

"I think they also like things like Eleanor and Williams' [relationship]. They like the found family thing, which is a very Christmassy idea; that seems to be the thing that people most respond to, which is, actually, 'I just like being in the orbit of these people, and they're mad'."

Speaking to THR, Barton also teased that he'll be looking to flesh out the character of Sarah Lancashire's Reed in season 2, perhaps giving us an insight into how she became the icy operative we meet in the show.

"I've been thinking about it a lot for series 2," he began. "I've written some stuff. I couldn’t really give it away, but I love that character. And having Sarah come in and do it is amazing.

"Yes, I would like to delve more into her backstory and who she is, but that would be definitely something for series 2."

Is there a Black Doves season 2 trailer?

Alas, there's no full-length trailer for Black Doves season 2 just yet – but we'll update this page when we have one.

However, we do have a short teaser. Watch below:

Black Doves is available to stream on Netflix.

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