Written by Allan Cubitt (The Hanging Gale, The Boys Are Back, Prime Suspect 2), series one of The Fall received international critical acclaim and became BBC Two’s biggest drama series to launch in over 10 years. The series had a consolidated average audience of 4.3 m and 16% share, with the final episode averaging an audience of 4.7m and 17.8% share.
The first series of The Fall distinguished itself notably by identifying the killer from the start, and through the investigation of the murder of a single female across one season was able to reveal the chilling nature of Spector’s behavior – unusual in allowing the audience to invest in the story of the murdered victim and not just the murder enquiry.
Despite Gibson and Spector never actually meeting on screen, the chemistry between the two characters was electric and the escalating rivalry became the lynchpin of the first season and left the audience crying out for more.
The story picks up immediately from where series one left off, with Gibson in pursuit of Spector. A personal link from Spector’s past opens up some clues for Gibson but provokes Spector in way that threatens to jeopardise the whole investigation. Gibson is forced to take ever greater risks but the closer she comes to capturing him, the more Spector trespasses into her private world, delighting in taunting and provoking her. As the net gradually tightens around him he becomes psychologically ever more dangerous and destructive.
On her return to the role, Gillian Anderson says: “I'm over the moon to be back in production with this team again and to step into the shoes of the elusive Stella for what promises to be an even darker second season.”
On his return to the role of Spector, Jamie Dornan says: "I’m delighted to be back in production for the second series of The Fall. Allan Cubitt has outdone himself, and the scripts are stunning."
