Lesley Manville Joins Lennie James, Suranne Jones & Stephen Graham ‘Save Me’ Season 2
As filming commences on the Season 2 of BAFTA-nominated Sky Original ‘Save Me‘, now cleverly titled ‘Save Me Too’, Lennie James, Suranne Jones and Stephen Graham will be joined by ‘Mum’ and ‘Harlots’ actress Lesley Manville, the broadcaster has announced.
Created, written by and starring Lennie James and produced by award-winning World Productions (‘Line of Duty’), Season 1 introduced us to an unlikely hero in Nelly Rowe (James), the life and soul of his local boozer; a charmer, chancer, fighter, liar and, at his age, a man who should know better. Nelly’s world was turned upside down after he was arrested and accused of kidnapping his 13-year-old daughter Jody, a child he barely knew existed.
“The first series of ‘Save Me’ was an absolute must-see, showcasing bold, British drama at its finest,” commented Cameron Roach, Director of Drama at Sky. “The show really has been part of a step-change for Sky drama, alongside ‘Patrick Melrose’ and ‘Chernobyl’, achieving widespread critical acclaim as well as an army of fans. We’re thrilled to now bring our viewers the second series of this unique story, to see the return of our much-loved characters alongside new cast members including Lesley Manville.”
Season 2 will see Lesley Manville join the cast as Jennifer Charles, the wife of Adrian Edmondson’s character Gideon Charles. Jennifer is forced to make an almost impossible choice that will place her in direct conflict with Nelly, following the return of the vulnerable girl, Grace (Olive Gray), who Nelly rescued whilst searching for his own daughter Jody.
“I couldn’t be more delighted to be joining this phenomenal series,” comments Manville. “‘Save Me’ was a major highlight of 2018, a testament to Lennie James’ writing and acting and the exceptional cast and creative team.”
At the end of series one, which became the most rapidly binged box-set in the broadcaster’s history, Nelly was left devastated that his desperate search for Jody had been unsuccessful. He had been dragged into a dangerous underworld, taken risks that had proved precarious for himself and those closest to him and challenged Nelly to re-evaluate many of the decisions he had made about his life, all to find Jody. We catch up with Nelly fourteen months down the road. Is he still looking? What hope is there of finding Jody? And if new evidence were to emerge, what would it force Nelly and those close to him to do next?
“We’re delighted to welcome the brilliant Lesley Manville for the second instalment of Nelly Rowe’s gripping quest,” adds Simon Heath, Executive Producer for World Productions. “A huge thanks to the Sky audience, who made ‘Save Me’ the fastest binged Sky box set ever and to the Sky team, who have given Lennie’s unique vision such brilliant support from day one.”
Suranne Jones returns as Jody’s mum Claire who faces the grim possibilities of her daughter’s fate. Stephen Graham returns as Nelly’s friend Melon, who is attempting to start a new life with his partner Bernie. Thomas Coombes as Goz, Kerry Godliman as Teens, Nadine Marshall as DI O’Halloran, Susan Lynch as Stace and Jason Flemyng as Tam all return, contributing to the vibrant community that viewers came to know and love in the first series, which is currently available to watch on-demand on Sky and streaming service NOW TV.
Save Me Too is produced by World Productions for Sky. Executive producers are Lennie James, Simon Heath for World Productions, Jessica Sykes for Independent Talent and Kara Manly for Sky. Lizzie Rusbridger is producer and Jim Loach and Coky Giedroyc are Directors. The 2nd Season of ‘Save Me’ was commissioned for Sky by Cameron Roach and Zai Bennett, Sky’s MD of Content, UK and Ireland and internationally distributed by Sky Vision.
No news yet on a premiere date for‘Save Me Too‘, but we’ll let you know when we hear more.
