
Karen Pirie season 2 start time, cast, episode count and how to watch
The ITV detective drama Karen Pirie is set to grace our TV screens once again in mere hours, as it rolls out its second instalment.
Launched in 2022, the series draws from the pages of Val McDermid's Inspector Karen Pirie novels and features Outlander's Lauren Lyle in a robust leading performance.
She plays a young, fearless Scottish investigator "with a quick mouth and a tenacious desire for the truth".
In its debut outing, viewers saw Pirie grapple with a 25-year-old cold case of a murdered barmaid, unravelling skeletons in the closet and deception to pinpoint the true culprit amidst a tangle of possible angles.
Scripted by Emer Kenny and crafted by the minds behind Line of Duty and Bodyguard, Karen Pirie makes a much-anticipated comeback for season two, inspired by McDermid's second book in her literary sequence, A Darker Domain, reports the Express.
In anticipation of the new episodes, Lauren expressed: "I'm thrilled that we will continue the life of our fearless young detective Karen Pirie, and of course, her bumbag. I've known for a while how well the show has gone down behind the scenes so it's been a joy to see audiences want more."
She went on to say: "It's a creative honour to work alongside Emer Kenny with the backbone of Val McDermid's story. Season 1 was incredibly exciting building an original character we hadn't seen before. I look forward to getting the gang back together and finally being able to answer the question: 'Please say there will be a season 2?' with an 'Oh yes.'"
For those eagerly awaiting, here is what you need to know about the upcoming season two.
When does Karen Pirie air on ITV and how can I watch?
Karen Pirie season two will air on Sunday, July 20, with the first episode premiering at 8pm on ITV1.
All episodes will be available to stream on ITVX.
Who is in the cast of Karen Pirie season 2?
Lauren Lyle will return alongside series one stars including Sex Education actor Chris Jenks, Timestalker's Zach Wyatt, EastEnders actor Steve John Shepherd, Emer Kenny and Rakhee Thakrar.
Joining the returning cast as new characters related to the case are Saskia Ashdown, James Cosmo, Frances Tomelty and John Michie.
The cast also includes Julia Brown, Mark Rowley, Kat Ronney, Conor Berry, Stuart Campbell, Jamie Michie, Madeleine Worrall, Jack Stewart, Thoren Ferguson, and Helen Katamba, James Fleet, Tom Mannion, and Tommaso Basili.
How many episodes are in Karen Pirie season 2?
Just like the first season, series two will have three episodes, titled A Darker Domain: Part 1, 2 and 3.
The official synopsis reads: "After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly given the authority she has long been fighting for.
"Just as she's getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned an infamous unsolved case that will put her under intense scrutiny; from her boss, from the media, and ultimately, from sinister forces that would rather the past stayed in the past.
"The 1984 case of Catriona and Adam Grant has confounded investigators and intrigued the public like no other. Catriona, the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two year old son Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish and chip shop in Fife.
"The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
"Now, a man's body has been discovered, with indisputable links to the original kidnap. With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick DC Jason 'Mint' Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant - but romantically complicated - DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt).
"With the international renown of the kidnap and the constant pressure from Catriona's father, Sir Broderick Grant (James Cosmo), the team take on the biggest challenge of their careers to date.
"As Karen delves deeper into what happened in the autumn of 1984, political grudges and painful secrets reveal themselves, and it soon becomes clear... the past is far from dead."
Karen Pirie season 2 will air from Sunday 20th July 2025 on ITV1 and ITVX.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Times
2 hours ago
- Times
The Times Luxury Cartoon: July 28, 2025
Enrico Pinto is a cartoonist and architect from the south of Italy. He lives in Paris and he is working on his second graphic novel. His work has been published in The New Yorker, Internazionale and Le Fooding.


Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Beloved ITV detective show slapped with 'trigger warning' for crime scenes in 'woke' move
ITV 's Inspector Morse has been slapped with a 'trigger warning' in a move that has been branded ' woke '. The popular series now features a pre-warning for crime scenes throughout the show, which seems to have caused a stir with people online. The streaming giant also advises there are 'satanic images' in one episode of the drama. It then has a parental lock on the episode, titled Day of the Devil. Inspector Morse first aired from 1987 to 2000, with a total of eight series. Other episodes also feature a warning over crime and violence. The popular series now features a pre-warning for crime scenes throughout the show, which seems to have caused a stir with people online Speaking about the update, Senior MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke slammed: 'This is another example of soft-touch Britain seeping into everything. 'We're just going to be laughed at as a country if things like this continue, because nobody's prepared for the real world where there are no.' Daily Mail has contacted ITV for comment. In the past, it has said about general alerts: 'Programming that contains politically sensitive or distressing themes, content, or language has carried appropriate warnings since our launch.' Just a few weeks ago, Netflix bosses axed an iconic moment from Pride and Prejudice to avoid 'objectifying men'. The unforgettable scene of Mr Darcy - played by Colin Firth - emerging from a lake was all the rage in 1995. But show bosses have confirmed it will not resurface in the forthcoming version of the rom-com. According to reports, many fans will be disappointed as the famous BBC scene is said to have 'got millions of women hot under the collar'. A source told The Sun: 'It is also credited for sparking subsequent moments of male objectification on screen - likes Aidan Turner's famous topless scything scene in Poldark.' It's claimed that Netflix bosses 'don't want a repeat'. The saucy scene soon became one of the most favourite TV scenes, however it didn't actually feature in Jane Austen's original 1813 story. Arguably the most iconic wet shirt ever worn sold at auction for £25,000 - double its estimated sale price.


Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Adrian Dunbar: ‘I'm really excited about the new Line of Duty'
Adrian Dunbar, 66, grew up in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. He is best known for playing Superintendent Ted Hastings in the BBC police drama Line of Duty and was nominated for a Bafta for the role in 2018. The last episode of the final season in 2021 was watched by 12.8 million viewers. He featured in the film Emily and the musical Kiss Me, Kate and now stars in police drama Ridley. He lives with his wife in London. Working in an abattoir was a very good grounding in how difficult it is to earn £20. I still love a bacon sandwich. It gives you a perspective on life that you don't forget. I've taken a lot of pleasure in watching Kneecap rinsing the system. [Kneecap are a controversial Irish rap group who made comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict at Glastonbury and Coachella.] They're an amazing act and they've caught the zeitgeist. But they're good people and conscientious people. I'm going to go and see them with my daughter, just to see what the craic is.