The series will leave the case and cast from series one behind, opening with a climate activist being left for dead following a hit and run, but managing to reveal his attacker as a serving policeman with his dying breath.

The following trial unpacks the motives and background of the mysterious and unnamed ‘Officer X’, and whether the death of the high-profile climate activist could be due to a thoughtless accident, or a targeted attack.

Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood) and Nathalie Armin (Home) will go head-to-head with Akhtar playing Sam Gill, a nervy defence solicitor with a reputation for winning for the underdog, and Armin as Leila Hassoun-Kenny, the CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused.

Fresh from his starring performance in Shane Meadows’ The Gallows Pole, Michael Socha will play the charming and overconfident police officer Justin Mitchell.

As attention from the public begins to build, Showtrial questions whether a fair trial is ever possible when surrounded by divisive issues and unreliable truths.

Creator and writer Ben Richards says: “I am very grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to explore another sensational trial which I hope will be just as entertaining as our first outing. I love writing Showtrial and I’m honoured to have a cast of such high quality to deliver it.”

Michael Socha says: “Loved series one! I cannot wait to get into the shoes of a character with such depth and ambiguity.”

Adeel Akhtar says: “I’m a big fan of Ben’s writing and so excited to be given the opportunity to join the second series of a brilliant show.”

Nathalie Armin says: “I’m thrilled to be a part of this brilliant story. Leila is a fascinating role and I can’t wait to bring her to life.”

Filming for series two of Showtrial will begin in November 2023, with series one available to stream on BBC iPlayer.