’Tis the season to hunker down with a juicy crime thriller or two and, as luck would have it, ITV is bringing back a tried-and-tested favourite in the form of DI Ray.

Once again penned by Line Of Duty actor and screenwriter Maya Sondhi (and executive produced by Jed Mercurio himself), the detective drama will be back on our screens from Sunday 20 October. 

“Thanks to our audience and to ITV and our amazing talented producers Maya Sondhi, Jed Mercurio, Madonna Baptiste and Jimmy Mulville, we get to do it again,” says Parminder Nagra, who plays our eponymous Rachita Ray.

“We look forward to taking you on another thrilling adventure!”

Watch the trailer for DI Ray season 2 below:

And just like that, we’re hooked all over again! Here’s what you need to know…

What’s the plot of DI Ray season 2?

Set two months after her suspension, the second season of DI Ray sees Rachita “thrust back into homicide after a fatal drive-by shooting outside a Birmingham hospital leaves two dead: a young nurse, Megan Parks, and the head of a notorious local crime syndicate, Frank Chapman”. 

“DI Ray is in race against time uncover the truth before the Chapman family act out their revenge and an all-out gang war erupts onto the streets,” teases the synopsis.

Who stars in DI Ray season 2?

Parminder Nagra – as in, yes, the star of Bend It Like Beckham, ER and The Blacklist – is, as mentioned already, back to lead this drama.

Gemma Whelan, Sam Baker-Jones, Steve Oram, Peter Bankolé, Ian Puleston-Davies and Jamie Bamber will be back reprising their roles

They’re joined, too, by a few new faces, including:

• Michael Socha
• Lauren Drummond
• Patrick Baladi
• Noami Yang
• Witney White
• Taha Rahim

What are people saying about DI Ray season 2?

“I am so excited to be able to work with Parminder again and all the team at HTM to bring back a series two that goes deeper, darker and twistier than Spaghetti Junction,” promises Sondhi.

Executive producer Madonna Baptiste, meanwhile, says: “We’re so pleased DI Ray’s unique blend of propulsive crime drama, while tackling racial issues, was embraced by ITV1 audiences and achieved high viewing figures. We’re absolutely thrilled to be making a second series with our brilliant cast and crew and thank ITV1 and viewers for their support.”

When can we watch DI Ray season 2?

DI Ray season 2 will air the first three of its six-episode run on Sunday 20, Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October.

The final three will air on Sunday 27, Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 October.

All six episodes will also be available to stream on ITVX from 20 October.

Images: ITV