The Chelsea Detective, Season 2: What We Know Right Now

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In March 2021, Acorn TV premiered the first season of the new mystery series The Chelsea Detective. Ever since, people have been asking: Will there be a season 2 of The Chelsea Detective? There was no news at first, but we’re thrilled to see that casting notices have gone out for season 2.

Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey, Miranda) stars as DI Max Arnold, a recently-separated officer who lives on a battered houseboat while holding out hope that he’ll get back together with his wife. He’s clever, determined, and perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t care about wealth or status when it comes to getting justice. Raised by a local bookshop owner, he’s a life-long Chelsea resident – but not part of the elite class of people who make up most of the neighbourhood.

Along with his colleague DC Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry), he investigates deaths in the London borough of Chelsea – a posh and lovely place with a dark underbelly full of greed and corruption and murder. Shamsie was born in Streatham, a vibrant but decidedly less affluent part of London.

Scarborough and Henry are joined by Anamaria Marinca (Sex Traffic) as DI Arnold’s wife Astrid, Lucy Phelps (Holby City) as tech expert DC Jess Lombard, Peter Bankolé (Peaky Blinders) as rookie officer DC Connor Pollock, and Sophie Stone (Shetland) as Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton. Frances Barber (Whitstable Pearl) plays DI Arnold’s mum.

The Chelsea Detective was created and executive produced by Peter Fincham  (I’m Alan Partridge), and so far, episodes have been written by Glen Laker (Vera, Prime Suspect), Fincham, and Liz Lake (Riviera, Call the Midwife).

Ella Kelly (Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders) is the series producer, and the directors are Richard Signy (Death in Paradise, Silent Witness) and Darcia Martin (Call the Midwife, Judge John Deed).

We’ve yet to see any announcements about returning actors or guest stars for season 2, but we’ll update when we know more.

Season 2 of The Chelsea Detective is set to begin filming in autumn 2022. Given the filming date and the fact that season 1 premiered in March, we’d expect to see season 2 sometime in the spring of 2023. 

Keep in mind, that’s all guesswork based on the casting notices that have gone out this week. When we have official details from the good folks over at Acorn TV, we’ll update this with more information.

As an Acorn TV Original Series, you’ll need an Acorn TV subscription to watch it. The first season will be released on DVD in mid-June, so that’s another option if you don’t stream. Your local library might even be able to get a copy if you put in a request.

Though it won’t be surprising to anyone who knows their London neighbourhoods, The Chelsea Detective is set in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It’s about as posh as it gets, with many homes occupied by royals, millionaire/billionaire business types, and oligarchs. 

If you’re curious about the local real estate, you can head over to Zoopla and search “Chelsea, London”. The tiniest, most basic studio or one bed flats go for 300k-500k GBP (roughly $400-600k), while luxurious semi-detached homes can be as much as 20-30 million GBP.

The area is home to Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, the Saatchi Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, and some of the wealthiest people in the whole of the world. It’s also home to one of the largest populations of Americans outside the US, with roughly 6.5% of Chelsea residents having been born in the US.

In between Chelsea and Belgravia, you’ll find the popular Sloane Square, from which “Sloane Rangers” get their name. To those not familiar with the term, it’s a nickname that describes a person who is well-off, well-bred, and sophisticated. Both Lady Diana and the Duchess of Cambridge have been described as Sloane Rangers. 

Some of the area’s past residents have included TS Eliot, George Eliot, Judy Garland, Bob Marley, Mary Shelley, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Freddie Mercury, Francis Bacon, Enid Blyton, Thomas Carlyle, AA Milne, Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Kylie Minogue, Mark Twain, Mick Jagger, Henry James, JRR Tolkien, and Oscar Wilde.

Below, you can virtually wander around the area via Google StreetView. We’ve set it to plop you down along the Chelsea Embankment. You can take a right to head into the neighbourhood itself, or continue down the path by the river and gardens. 

If you haven’t already watched season 1, you can give it a try HERE. We’ve included the trailer below to give you an overview.

For those not familiar with star Adrian Scarborough, we recommend checking out some of his other roles, too. The Chelsea Detective is one of his first serious lead roles, but he’s been doing great work in a variety of performances for many years now. We’ve included links to some of the best ones below.