‘The Outlaws’: Stephen Merchant Comedy-Thriller Renewed For Season 2
‘The Outlaws‘ will return for six more hours of community service as the BBC announces Stephen Merchant’s comedy-thriller has been renewed for a 2nd Season.
‘The Outlaws’ is a contemporary British comedy-drama about a disparate group of lawbreakers thrown together to complete a community service sentence. Seven strangers from different walks of life – people who would never normally interact – are forced to work together to renovate a derelict community centre. They resent the menial physical labour and they resent each other. But when one of their number gets dragged into a dangerous world of organised crime, they unite in ways none of them thought possible.
“I am overwhelmed by the wonderful response to The Outlaws,” commented Merchant. “Audiences have fallen in love with the characters as much as I have and my Twitter feed is inundated with people asking for updates on series two, so I’m delighted to confirm the entire gang will return for more adventures. If we made The Outlaws sweat in Series One, we’re really turning the heat up second time round.”
Following on directly from the first series, The Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences – but now they must face the fallout from their actions. If they thought the criminal underworld or the local police were done with them, they are sorely mistaken. The Outlaws must depend on one another while working with unlikely allies to atone for their sins – but can they save themselves without sacrificing their souls?
The second series will see the return of Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken, alongside writer and star Stephen Merchant (The Office, Jojo Rabbit), with Rhianne Barreto (Honour, Hanna), Gamba Cole (Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle, Hanna), Darren Boyd (Killing Eve), Clare Perkins (EastEnders), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), Jessica Gunning (Back), Charles Babalola (Bancroft), Nina Wadia (Goodness Gracious Me, Bend It like Beckham), Tom Hanson (Brassic), and Aiyana Goodfellow (Small Axe) as Esme. Guest stars include Julia Davis (Sally4Ever), Dolly Wells (Dracula), Ian McElhinney (Game Of Thrones, Derry Girls), and Claes Bang (Dracula).
“The Outlaws has entertained BBC viewers across the nation this autumn and we are thrilled to say the series is the BBC’s biggest comedy launch this year,” adds Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy. “We can’t wait for fans to see what Stephen has in store for this second series as our Outlaws come face to face with the consequences of their actions.”
The series is a co-production between BBC One and Amazon Studios. The second series was commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC One, produced by Big Talk (Mum, Friday Night Dinner, Back) with Stephen Merchant’s Four Eyes. Big Talk is part of ITV Studios.
“Stephen and Elgin’s unlikely band of Outlaws have clearly connected with audiences in the UK, through their compelling storylines, and hilarious and heartfelt performances,” said Chris Mansolillo, director and head of content licensing in the U.S. for Prime Video. “We can’t wait to introduce The Outlaws to our Prime Video members next year.”
The series is created by Stephen Merchant and Elgin James. Executive Producers are Stephen Merchant for Four Eyes, Luke Alkin, Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice for Big Talk, and Tanya Qureshi is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC.
‘The Outlaws‘ Season 1 can be found on BBC One and BBC iPlayer right now.
