Nightsleeper Season 2 Returns with Colin Morgan, Madeleine Mantock & Christian Cooke!

EXCLUSIVE: Stars such as Colin Morgan (The Boy That Never Was), Madeleine Mantock (The Long Song), and Christian Cooke (Frauds) have been tapped for leading roles in the second season of the BBC’s real-time thriller, Nightsleeper.

These actors step in for the first season’s Joe Cole and Ruth Madeley, joining forces with Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks), Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones), and Sally Lindsay (Cold Call).

Produced by Element Pictures, known for Normal People, this BBC series is currently being shot in Belfast, UK, with backing from Northern Ireland Screen. The script is penned by Nick Leather.

The six-episode series, set to air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, shifts the setting from the overnight train of the first season to the high seas. This season centers around a Belfast-to-Liverpool passenger ferry that faces a dangerous cyber-attack.

As the crew works to conceal the severity of the threat from the unsuspecting passengers, the ferry’s second engineer, Johnny (played by Cooke), teams up with the National Cyber Security Centre’s new tech director, Bo (played by Morgan), to counteract the threat.

Morgan is cast as Stephen ‘Bo’ Bowen, with Mantock as Beth and Cooke as Johnny. The series also introduces Rupert Penry-Jones as Richard, Ian McElhinney as Charlie, and Sally Lindsay as Lisa.

Additional cast includes Alexander Arnold (Yesterday) as Feeny, Lydia Page (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) as Lola, and several others. Returning from the first season are Parth Thakerar, Jonjo O’Neill, and Micah Balfour.

The direction is led by James Kent and Chris Baugh, with a robust production team including Kate Harwood, Rachel Dargavel, and others from Element, alongside BBC’s Gaynor Holmes. Global sales are managed by Element’s parent company, Fremantle.

“Embarking on this second Nightsleeper voyage across a route I’m deeply familiar with—the Belfast-to-Liverpool ferry—brings an exciting new dynamic to our story,” remarked Leather.

After taking over from Euston Films, a Fremantle label that closed as Season 1 debuted, Element has continued the production. The first season saw global success, distributed by Fremantle to 176 territories, including BritBox in the U.S.

“We’re delighted to be shooting this maritime adventure in Belfast, and with such a stellar cast, under the guidance of excellent directors James Kent and Chris Baugh, we are eager to take Nightsleeper fans on another exhilarating journey,” said Kate Harwood, continuing as an executive producer.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, who greenlit Season 2, shared, “We’re excited to see Colin, Madeleine, and Christian steer this new series of Nightsleeper. Nick Leather has crafted another riveting plot, and with constant peril just below the surface, it promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.”