Filming has begun in the Western Isles on the second series of An t-Eilean (The Island), with Sorcha Groundsell returning as Kat Crichton alongside Sam James Smith as Ruaraidh Maclean. The award-winning Gaelic drama is produced by Black Camel Pictures for BBC ALBA, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer.
The new 4×47’ series will follow Kat, now a sergeant, as she finds herself frustrated both at work and at home while caring for her ill father and dealing with low-level local crime. That changes when the body of a young woman washes up beneath a local bridge, pulling Kat into the hunt for a killer stalking the islands.
As the investigation deepens, the case begins to expose the hidden lives and devastating secrets of the community’s young people. Ruaraidh, now running the local youth group, is drawn back into Kat’s world when he suspects that other young islanders may also be missing.
The returning cast is joined by Ava Mackinnon, Owen Sutcliffe, Tanith Munro, Aidan O’Callaghan, Debbie Mackay, Yolanda Mitchell, Jamie Quinn, Roxie Mohebbi and Àdhamh Ó Broin. Created by Nicholas Osborne and co-written with Mairead Hamilton, the new series is filming largely on location across the Western Isles and the mainland. The first series was reported to cost more than £1 million per episode, making it the BBC’s most expensive Gaelic TV drama to date, and its return to the islands should once again give viewers a thriller with serious atmosphere and even better views.
Bill MacLeod, Commissioning Editor at BBC ALBA, said it was “incredibly exciting” to see the drama begin filming again in Lewis and Harris, adding that the new series makes use of “one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world” while telling a story that feels rooted and relevant.
Arabella Page Croft, Executive Producer at Black Camel Pictures, said the team has “a profound ambition” to give audiences an even more atmospheric and tense island investigation, with Kat Crichton back at the centre.
The first series of An t-Eilean marked a major moment for Gaelic-language drama, bringing a high-end crime thriller to BBC ALBA while reaching audiences on BBC iPlayer and BBC Four. Its return suggests real appetite for Scottish stories that do not dilute their sense of place, language or identity for a wider audience.
For CultureCues, that is what makes An t-Eilean such an exciting title to see returning. Scottish crime drama has always known how to make a landscape do half the talking, but this series has an added cultural weight, giving Gaelic storytelling a gripping, atmospheric space on screen. Murder mystery with a view, basically, but with far more depth than that makes it sound. Consider us air bhioran!
An t-Eilean series two does not yet have a confirmed release date. Series one is available on BBC iPlayer.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.