The Responder writer gives season 2 update and teases "good names"
"These characters have grown."
Fans of The Responder will be pleased to hear that its creator and writer Tony Schumacher is hard at work on season 2 of the hit BBC drama.
He told RadioTimes.com that he's currently concentrating on episode 4 and is "hoping to start filming in September, all being well", adding: "And then we'll carry over for about three months, four months, and then it's in the hands of the BBC [in terms of] when it goes out. But sooner rather than later, I hope."
The series stars Martin Freeman as Chris Carson, a frontline police officer from Liverpool whose mental health is spiralling when he's faced with a moral dilemma that could blow his world apart.
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Teasing what's to come in the sophomore season, Schumacher said: "These characters have grown and the situations have changed slightly. Where they live has changed slightly. Everything has just shifted.
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"I want them to do new things and move forward."
Schumacher, who has been nominated in the Writer category at this year's BAFTA Craft Awards, went on to say that for him, The Responder is less about plot and more focused on character.
"Everything I ever work on, everyone's going, 'Put more plot in. We need more plot.' For me, it's about the people. It's about Marco (Josh Finan) and Casey (Emily Fairn) and Chris and Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo), about what they've been through. You could only grow [across the episodes]. You could only be a different person at the end of season 1 than the person you were at the beginning of season 1.
"And everyone's doing their absolute best. Everyone was just trying to be normal [when we first met them] and that's where we find them now. We find them all in this 'normal', trying to just get through. That's where we find Chris at the moment. He's just trying to put the pieces back together."
Schumacher also promised "some great characters to come", adding "We're hoping we're going to get a few good names [to join]. We're really excited. I think people are going to love them."
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The BAFTA Television Craft Awards take place on Sunday 23rd April.
The Responder is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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