The second series of Broadchurch, ITV’s multi-award-winning drama set in West Bay is back on our screens tonight.

David Tennant returns as Alec Hardy and Olivia Colman resumes her role as Ellie Miller, both pictured right, last seen having her life torn apart as husband Joe confessed to murdering local schoolboy Danny Latimer in the seaside town.

Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan, who play Danny’s parents Beth and Mark Latimer, will also return to their roles, alongside Arthur Darvill as vicar Paul Coates, Carolyn Pickles as newspaper editor Maggie Radcliffe and a host of other ‘local’ faces.

Legendary Emmy-nominated film and television actress Charlotte Rampling, Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James D’Arcy (Cloud Atlas, Hitchcock, Jupiter Ascending), Eve Myles (Torchwood, Merlin, Little Dorrit) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Bad Education, Blandings, Glue) will also join the cast of Broadchurch for this series.

The first series saw the murder of 11-year-old Danny Latimer rock the small Dorset town of Broadchurch, as DI Alec Hardy (Tennant) – still haunted by the collapse of a previous murder case he worked on – was put in charge of the case, much to the chagrin of local officer DS Ellie Miller (Colman).

Their investigation saw many townspeople come under suspicion, including Danny’s father Mark (Buchan), but after many twists and turns, the revelation of the killer’s identity had far-reaching consequences, not least for the two detectives.

Story details are being kept tightly under wraps for the second series, meaning it is one of the most highly-anticipated returning dramas in years.

Jane Featherstone, executive producer and chief executive of Kudos, says: “We were so thrilled by the audience’s response to the first series and so it was our job to make sure that the second series offers something equally compelling and emotional, but we also felt it was important that it was in some ways unexpected and surprising and I think and hope that’s what the amazing team of brilliant people who make this show have achieved, with the unflinching support of ITV.”