ITV commissions second series of Innocent

ITV has confirmed a second series of Innocent written by Chris Lang, produced by TXTV and starring Katherine Kelly.

Katherine Kelly will take the leading role of Sally Wright who is fighting, against all odds, to prove her innocence.

“I’m thrilled to be working on this complex and thrilling drama by Matt Arlidge and Chris Lang. I look forward to bringing the mix of Sally’s fragility and quiet strength to life,” Kelly noted.

The second series focuses upon the scandal that rocked the small Cumbrian town of Keswick in 2015 involving school teacher, Sally Wright, who was alleged to be having an affair with her 16-year-old pupil, Matty Taylor.

Jamie Bamber will portray Sally’s husband Sam, while the drama will also star in some capacity Priyanga Burford, Shaun Dooley, Amy-Leigh Hickman, Lucy Black, Michael Yare, Andrew Tiernan, Nadia Albina, Poppy Miller, Janine Wood, Laura Rollins and Michael Stevenson.

When Matty is found dead, brutally stabbed with a broken cider bottle, suspicion falls upon Sally who had admitted to taking special interest in the boy. In spite of having no criminal record, no history of violence and vehemently protesting her innocence and the fact she couldn’t be placed at the remote beauty spot on the day Matty was found murdered, Sally was convicted by a majority verdict and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail.

The new four-part series opens with Sally in the dock of Carlisle Crown Court, steely and determined to prove her innocence and that she’s been the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice. With the unwavering support of her best friend, Jenny, Editor of the local Cumbrian Post newspaper, Sally has been given a lifeline, as new evidence, which places her six miles from the murder scene, is unearthed.

When the forewoman pronounces Sally is ‘not guilty’ of the crime which has destroyed her life her first thoughts are for Matty and his parents, John and Maria Taylor, who are still living their nightmare. Hell-bent on reclaiming some of her life, Sally sets out to help the police seek answers and find the real killer.

“Innocent II is a thriller which keeps you guessing to the very end. Chris and Matt’s brilliant scripts are compelling and the characters incredibly relatable. We’re thrilled to be working again with TXTV and Chris Lang on a second instalment of Innocent.” – Huw Kennair-Jones, ITV Drama Commissioner

The series has started filming on location in the Lake District and Ireland.

The first series of Innocent was one of ITV’s highest rated dramas of 2018 with an average of over 7 million viewers for each of the four episodes, based on seven-day consolidated data.