After another series of Nottingham-based crime and punishment, the BBC has announced that Sherwood will return to the channel for more.
Having followed the fallout of a local murder that reignited buried tensions dating back to the miners’ strike of the 1980s, James Graham led the second series of his drama into gang related territory, to both critical and viewer acclaim.
“This second series may look, at first glance, like your typical crime drama,” wrote Chris Bennion in The Telegraph, “but its exceptional grasp of people and place sets it apart.”
In light of the commission, Graham said: “It continues to be the greatest privilege to tell stories set in and inspired by the history of my home county of Nottinghamshire. Having a returning series on the BBC is pretty much every British writer’s dream.”
Inspired by the ‘Shottingham’ gang wars that troubled the community he grew up in, Graham wrote the series about another tragically random murder. This time of Nicky Branson (Sam Buchanan), which set his crime family off on a path of bloody vengeance, with the police, aided by the newly retired ex-DCS Ian St Clair (David Morrissey), in pursuit.
A stroke of bad luck – and curiosity about his wider family – delivered Ronan Sparrow (Bill Jones) to the scene of the initial murder. But when the Bransons, led by Ann and Roy (a menacing Monica Dolan and Stephen Dillane) insisted that the young Sparrow help them in their plans for revenge, the two families became embroiled in a fierce feud that spiralled out of control.
That’s not to mention the other plotlines of police corruption and coalmine megalomania, which all led up to an unbearably tense finale of stand-offs. The episode culminated in Ann’s showdown with Sparrow matriarch Daphne, the latter played by Lorraine Ashbourne, who many are saying stole the show with her portrayal of a woman wracked with a lifetime of secrets and grief.
What will happen to poor Daphne now? Graham hasn’t shared any firm details about the third series just yet. But he does say: “My biggest appreciation goes to our audiences and I’m determined to deliver for them in a series three, which will be a new set of stories, and the continuation – and completion – of some strands I’ve been dreaming of for some time.”
The first two series of Sherwood are available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer.
