When does The Tourist season 2 start?

The Tourist fans were delighted when it revealed that BBC were bringing back the hit thriller for a second series in 2024.

But as the six-part drama starring Jamie Dornan as a mystery man with amnesia and Danielle Macdonald as Australian police officer Helen Chambers who is assigned to his case, ended on a cliff-hanger, it was not clear which characters would return.

When does The Tourist series 2 start?

The BBC has confirmed that The Tourist season 2 will air on BBC One from 1 January 2024.

Now first look pictures released ahead of the new season show that Jamie Dornan is back as criminal on the run Elliot Stanley.

While the first series was set in the Australian Outback, the backdrop of the Irish countryside would imply the new season is set in Ireland.

But it seems Elliot is still on the run.

Is there a trailer for The Tourist series 2?

Our first look at The Tourist series 2 arrived in mid-December and wasted no time plunging us straight into a new story with many questions that remain unanswered.

Backdropping all of this mystery is the lush green surrounds of the Irish countryside which forms the setting for Elliot's new story.

Watch the full trailer above.

What happens in The Tourist series 2?

At the end of season one, Aussie cop Helen Chambers had left her no-good husband. And despite spurning Elliot for being a criminal, she was shown to still be in touch with him when she messaged him at the end of the last episode.

And pictures from the new series confirm she will be returning, apparently following Elliot to Ireland to help him discover the secrets of his past.

The pair are set to be dragged into a longstanding family feud as they track down and confront Elliot's friends and foes.

Read more: Jamie Dornan says there were no easy moments in making The Tourist

The new instalments promise yet more quirky comedy and high octane drama, along with the introduction of new characters including Detective Ruairi Slater, played by Industry's Conor MacNeill, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Olwen Fouere as Niamh Cassidy.

Playing the McDonnell family will be Outlander and Vikings star Diarmaid Murtagh, Fair City's Nessa Matthews, Sin Street's Mark McKenna and Francis Magee whose previous credits include Kin and Then You Run.

It looks like Elliot is due to find yet more trouble as one still of Dornan shows him with blood on his head as he hides in a derelict house.

The Tourist proved to be a surprise hit in early 2022, with 22 million streams on iPlayer in the week it launched.

Series one launched with 11.4 million viewers in the UK and holds the title as the UK’s most-watched drama of 2022 across all platforms.

It was originally written as stand-alone drama series, but following its success its creators, brothers Harry and Jack Williams, were eager to continue the story.

Harry told Radio Times: "I would love to make this show again with these people. I'm not entirely sure it's possible. I love the tone, I love the world. It's been our lives for three years and we've been very, very involved with it, more so than any other show."

His brother Jack added: "We are talking about how we could return to this world, aren't we?" as Harry said: "Yeah, this world and this tone. I feel like we're not done with that. In terms of the story, we'll see how it goes if people like it."

The Tourist season 2 airs on BBC One from 1 January, 2024.