As the studio sitcom returns, its cast tell Gemma Dunn where we can expect to find their characters in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Kate & Koji proved to be just the tonic we needed in early 2020.

Launching just days before the national lockdown was ordered, the ITV studio sitcom played out in the early throes of the pandemic, providing much-needed laughs to millions holed up at home.

The premise: an unexpected and sparky friendship between Kate, the owner of an old-fashioned seaside cafe, and Koji, an African asylum seeker-qualified doctor (played by Brenda Blethyn and Jimmy Akingbola, respectively).

"You never know how it's going to be received, but we're delighted with the way it went down," boasts Blethyn, 76, of its favoured reaction. "On average, we had (just under) five million viewers!"

"People were very pleased because everyone was a bit stunned in March (2020)," agrees co-star Barbara Flynn, 73, who plays Kate's arch nemesis, Councillor Bone.

"Lots of people said how much they enjoyed it because they were at home and didn't know what to do with themselves," she reasons. "It was something nice that the whole family could enjoy."

Now two years on, the hit comedy - written by Outnumbered duo Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin - is back for a second season. Right when we need it the most.

Returning to the latest six-episode run, alongside Blethyn and Flynn, is Blake Harrison as Kate's handyman nephew Medium; while Okorie Chukwu will take over the role of Koji from Akingbola (who is now in the LA having signed onto the reboot of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air).

Guest stars include Chizzy Akudolu, Claire Skinner, Susie Blake and Martin Marquez.

So where we can expect to find the characters this series?

Much like the rest of us, they're navigating life after the pandemic, Blethyn explains: "We meet them again as lockdown has just finished and Kate is being rewarded for her efforts looking after people.

"She's been cooking food for the vulnerable, and Medium has been delivering for her, and they've won an award for it."

But it quickly goes downhill, shares the Vera star, "as (in the next episode) her foot has a row with a curb ramp and Koji has to take over in the cafe, which is pretty irritating to Kate.

"She just sits back and moans - or criticises. But she knows he's doing his best; she knows his heart is in right place."

As for Koji, he is still working illegally as a doctor in the cafe and still awaiting a decision on his asylum application.

"I mean, it's a sad situation and process that people have to go through," empathises Chukwu, who is known for Hood Chronicles.

"For Koji, he's going through that process, and when he goes to the cafe he gets a bit of refuge in discussing and going through situations that take his mind off it for a moment - like when he gets to run the cafe for a day!"

And how has his and Kate's friendship evolved?

"They still have their disagreement points, like family," believes Chukwu. "They're much closer, I would say. I think Koji feels safer in their (Kate and Medium's) company - he sees them as a family."

"It is almost family in a weird way," Blethyn echoes. "She'd stick up for him no matter what!"

Addressing Koji's hard times, "All the characters are struggling, as most people are after this pandemic," she adds. "Especially in a little sleepy seaside town...!

"Kate is heavily in debt; she's trying to make ends meet. And Medium is like a hired hand working, probably on zero hours on a daily basis."

It's meant he's had time to realise new ambitions, though.

"He is finishing a novel that he started - one of those classic lockdown projects!" quips Harrison, 36.

"I can imagine Medium has got a fair amount of time on his hands because he does get through an awful lot of books and podcasts and things like that, but he clearly had extra time on his hands to try and write a novel!

"But I don't know if it's too much of a spoiler to say that he's not the most talented writer..." teases the former Inbetweeners actor. "It's a big debate and discussion between Koji and Kate as to how honest they can be with Medium about his novel."

"Well, Councillor Bone is up to her usual tricks," Flynn chimes in. "There's the sparking that goes on between Kate and Lavinia - Lavvy. But later on, she finds a remarkably different side to her character, which causes absolute mayhem.

"She suddenly becomes nice, and nobody knows quite what to do with that," she muses. "But it all comes right in the end, of course!"

And do we find out more about her feud with Kate?

"It's a huge reveal. How old is it? 65 years?" questions Flynn.

"That's kind of the big reveal for the series," Harrison teases of the reasoning behind the pair's frostiness.

"I'd say it's very similar to the end of Lost - everyone for years is like, 'What's going on? Are they dead? Are they alive? Where's this island? It's the same kind of vibe, but what started the feud between Councillor Bone and Kate Abbott? It's a very similar amount of anticipation."

"It's a glorious part to play; it's enormous fun and Brenda is a total dream!" Flynn responds.

"It's different, it's funny, it's light and it's an amazing piece of writing. The joy of this work is the writing for me, personally," continues The Durrells star. "They've made a world that's very accessible to the whole family to sit down and enjoy, as well as keeping a lot of reality to it.

"It's not airy fairy, it's got reality, you've got the asylum seeker, the political situation is presented on stage with the humour, and it's very cleverly done."

"Comedy saves us all," Blethyn finishes. "The biggest gift my parents left me was a sense of humour. If you've got a sense of humour, you'll get through anything!"

She hopes Kate & Koji will run and run: "It's a treat, actually. After dealing with the horrors of murder, which is also great, but you just come in and have a laugh" she notes.

"And with the live audience as well, it is rather lovely."

Kate & Koji returns to ITV on Wednesday, March 16.