The Missing and Baptiste writers tease potential return to the series
"We definitely haven't ruled it out."
Harry and Jack Williams, the creator of new Prime Video show The Assassin, first made their names in the world of thrillers with The Missing, the hit BBC One drama from 2014.
That show ran for two seasons, before pivoting to new spin-off series Baptiste, which more closely followed Tchéky Karyo's character Julien Baptiste.
Baptiste also ran for two seasons, with the last one airing in 2021. Since then, there have been no more seasons in the world of The Missing – but writers Harry and Jack Williams have teased that that might not be the case forever.
Speaking with us for The Radio Times Writers' Room, our interview series in which we get to know what makes writers tick, Jack admitted that they do talk about returning to either Baptiste or The Missing.
"Yeah, we still talk to Tchéky a lot," Harry added. "So yeah, sort of never say never, I think."
Jack continued: "We've come close, we’ve talked about it. We've never quite cracked the thing. Then the longer it goes, the more you go… you don't want to… we feel like the second one could have gone horribly wrong, and the fact that people liked it and it went well was such a relief.
"You don't want to come back for the victory lap and find everyone throwing s**t at you."
"Why did they bring that guy back?", Harry joked.
"Yeah, so that always puts us off," Jack said. "But we definitely haven't ruled it out. We have talked about it over the years, so it's not something that's far from our minds. But no, there's no plans in the near future."
Across the years, The Missing and Baptiste featured actors including James Nesbitt, David Morrissey, Keeley Hawes, Tom Hollander and Fiona Shaw in major roles.
While chatting for The Radio Times Writers' Room, the Williams brothers also spoke about their work on new series The Assassin, in which they have re-teamed with Hawes, as well as on shows including The Tourist and Boat Story.
Harry and Jack Williams's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room is available to watch in full on RadioTimes.com here and on YouTube here.
The Assassin is available to stream on Prime Video now – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
