BBC drama Inside Man came to a dramatic conclusion at the end of 2022 and left fans clamouring for a second season or spin-off.

Advertisement

And now that the dark and twisty tale developed by Steven Moffat is available to stream on Netflix, even more of us are wondering what the ending of season 1 could mean for the show's future.

Well, there's both good and bad news on this front: while a second season is yet to officially be confirmed, Moffat has previously hinted at a second instalment of Inside Man.

Speaking on BBC's Today programme back in January 2023, the Sherlock creator and Doctor Who showrunner revealed that thoughts are turning towards the future of the hit drama series and a possible second season run.

Moffat said: “We’re looking at the enthusiastically-nodded-about graphs and apparently [Inside Man] performed quite well.”

Inside Man revolved around David Tennant's Harry Watling, a man who found himself drawn towards committing murder after making a series of extremely bad decisions.

Meanwhile, Stanley Tucci's Jefferson Grieff, a murderer on Death Row, found himself taking on the case of a missing woman, with the two stories becoming further entwined as the series progressed.

The series also starred Dolly Wells and Lydia West and was brought to a natural close in the fourth and final episode as questions were answered and fates sealed.

However, with a couple of questions still hanging and a mid-credits scene suggesting there could be more story to tell, will there be another season of Inside Man? Read on for everything you need to know.

Will there be an Inside Man season 2?

David Tennant as Harry Watling in Inside Man.
David Tennant as Harry Watling in Inside Man. Hartswood, Sally Mais

At this point, a second season hasn't been confirmed - and it seems that creator Steven Moffat is keeping his options open.

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Moffat said: "The story will end in four episodes. It's done by the end of that. As to whether or not you could ever spin off anything or do any kind of sequel? I don't know at this moment."

Moffat added that it will depend on the audience response to the first season, as well as whether he had a clear idea of where the story would go in a second run of episodes.

He added: "Television is littered with shows that had one season and pretended they could carry on – I would never want to be one of those, where you're so excited to get a phone call about doing another run that you do it and then realise, actually, the story is finished."

So for now, it seems we'll just have to wait and see. A mid-credits sting certainly sets up a sense of where the story could go, but whether we will ever get a follow-up on that is currently unclear.

When would a potential Inside Man season 2 be released?

Lydia West as Beth Davenport in Inside Man.
Lydia West as Beth Davenport in Inside Man. Hartswood Films Ltd/Paul Stephenson

Without confirmation that a second season is actually happening, it's hard to say when it would debut on BBC One. We'd imagine the absolute earliest it could be turned around for would be in a year's time, so autumn 2023.

However, one of Moffat's previous series, Sherlock, used to take two years for a new season to be released. We could therefore be looking at a similar timeline here. We'll keep this page updated as and when we have any more concrete information.

What would Inside Man season 2 be about?

Dolly Wells as Janice Fife in Inside Man.
Dolly Wells as Janice Fife in Inside Man. Hartswood Films Ltd, Paul Stephenson

It's hard to say exactly what Inside Man season 2 would be about at this point, but if it were to follow on from the mid-credits sting at the end of the season 1 finale, then it would certainly be taking a very different turn.

More like this

In the scene, Grieff was visited by Janice who asked him for help in murdering her husband, who she said "should be" dead.

Grieff seemed willing to engage with the proposal, which would appear strange given his previous lack of interest in cases which didn't provide "moral worth". Maybe he truly does believe that her husband deserves to die?

Regardless, season 2 could see this premise followed up on, with Grieff aiding Janice in her attempt to murder her husband. Exactly how that would play out remains to be seen, but a different case for Grieff to crack, not involving David Tennant's Harry Watling, would certainly seem like the direction the show would go in.

Inside Man cast - who would be back for season 2?

Harry Watling (David Tennant), Janice Fife (Dolly Wells), Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci) and Beth Davenport (Lydia West) in Inside Man.
Harry Watling (David Tennant), Janice Fife (Dolly Wells), Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci) and Beth Davenport (Lydia West) in Inside Man. BBC/Hartswood Films/Sam Barker

If Inside Man did return, the one character we'd certainly expect to be back would be Stanley Tucci's Jefferson Grieff. The ending set up a potential new case for him, and as a connective through-line, his character would make the most sense.

If season 2 did follow up on season 1's mid-credits scene, then we'd expect Dolly Wells's Janice to be back too, as well as Atkins Estimond as Dillon Kempton, Dylan Baker as Casey and potentially Kate Dickie as Grieff's associate Morag.

However, whether David Tennant's Harry Watling returns is more up in the air.

His story is seemingly done, with his character now in prison for Janice's attempted murder. Grieff teased that Harry could be the one he finally opens up to about why he killed his wife, meaning we could see more video calls between the two - but we'd certainly expect a smaller role for him going forward.

If he was to return, we could also see more of Louis Oliver as his son Ben, while it's unlikely we'd see any more of Lyndsey Marshall's Mary after her character met a tragic end.

Lydia West's Beth Davenport is another uncertain one. She could well be back for more interactions with Grieff, but for now their connection would seem to be done.

All that in mind, we'd expect the following cast members could be back if an Inside Man season 2 were to happen:

  • Stanley Tucci as Jefferson Grieff
  • Dolly Wells as Janice Fife
  • Atkins Estimond as Dillon Kempton
  • Dylan Baker as Casey
  • Kate Dickie as Morag
  • Lydia West as Beth Davenport
  • David Tennant as Harry Watling
  • Louis Oliver as Ben Watling

Is there a trailer for Inside Man season 2?

There isn't a trailer available for Inside Man season 2 yet, but for now, you can rewatch the trailer for season 1 right here.

All four episodes of Inside Man are available now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

Advertisement

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement