It’s Channel 4’s biggest drama of 2025 so far - and the good news is that hit crime series, Patience, is not over yet! The staggeringly good police drama is making an explosive return, with filming commencing on what’s set to be an even bigger – and better – second series.
The first series of the hit drama saw Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) - who’s autistic - establish herself as an invaluable member of the City of York Police and there are plenty more crimes in extraordinary locations in store for her. In fact, Jo McGrath, Chief Creative Officer at Eagle Eye Drama has promised that series 2 will be "more action packed, culminating with a nail-biting hostage storyline and a shocking family revelation for Patience".
Ahead of series 2’s arrival on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about the next instalment, including the plot, cast and release date.
What is Patience about?
The first six-part series of the police drama aired on Channel 4 in January and starred Ella Maisy Purvis as Patience Evans, a young civilian worker in the Police Criminal Records Office, who was living a quiet life with her godfather, Douglas, in York. Patience is autistic and has an incredible memory; she also loves a puzzle and her ability to untangle tricky cases soon caught the attention of top crime fighting officer DI Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser).
When a seemingly routine investigation into a suspected suicide crossed Patience’s desk, she remembered connections to a series of similar cases in the past. With Patience’s help, the case was solved, and DI Bea Metcalf recognised her potential and talents. We saw her take her under her wing and push to get her made into an official Civilian Investigative Officer.
As the series progressed, we learnt more about Patience’s early life and how she was abandoned by her mother and brought up by her father, George, who was a police officer himself. At the same time, as DI Metcalf grew closer to Patience, professionally and personally, she was forced to reassess everything in her life, from her approach to Police work to her own autistic son Alfie’s particular needs.
We also saw the pair deal with numerous baffling cases in York, including that of a locked room with a dead man inside, a drowning in a museum with no water, and a "corpse" that walked off a mortuary slab. No doubt series 2 has plenty more in store.
What will happen in Patience series 2?
The new series will run across an extended eight episodes and see Jessica Hynes join the cast as DI Frankie Monroe, who will bring a different dynamic to the station and a new boss for Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) and the team. Having established herself as an invaluable member of the team, Patience will continue her work in the police criminal records department of City of York Police, bringing her unique insight into a series of perplexing cases.
However, Detective Frankie Monroe arrives on the scene with a very different management style, it proves tricky for them both to navigate. According to Channel 4, love is also in the air in the new series as Patience begins a relationship with a work colleague Elliot (Tom Lewis) and the police department gets a makeover with the arrival of a new PR consultant all whilst tackling intriguing crimes in extraordinary settings such as York Minster.
Ella Maisy Purvis, who plays Patience, has suggested there are some intriguing new cases in store. “"The response and popularity of Series 1 was staggering, so I am beyond thrilled to dive back into the world of Patience for a series 2, especially because we have some brilliant new cases to crack. Buckle up!” she says.
Jessica Hynes added: “I am thrilled to be joining the cast of Patience as DI Frankie Monroe – I hugely enjoyed the first series as a viewer and looking forward to joining the team for the second series to be in the middle of the action.”
Who will star in Patience series 2?
As we mentioned, Jessica Hynes (W1A, Miss Austen) will join the cast of series 2 as DI Frankie Monroe. We’ll also see the return of regular cast members, including:
- Ella Maisy Purvis as Patience
- Nathan Welsh (Trying, Am I Being Unreasonable?) as DS Jake Hunter
- Mark Benton (Smoggie Queens, Shakespeare and Hathaway) as Calvin Baxter
- Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl, Living) as Douglas Gilmore
- Ali Ariaie (The Great, Doctor Who) as DC Will Akbari
- Connor Curren (Dodger, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) as Billy Thompson
- Liza Sadovy (A Real Pain, The Rumour) as Dr. Loretta Parsons
- Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Redeeming Love) as Elliot Scott
Sadly, it would seem that Laura Fraser, who played Detective Bea Metcalf in series 1, won't be returning for series 2.
Is Patience any good?
Yes – in fact, the first series, which aired earlier this year, is Channel 4’s biggest drama of 2025 so far and averaged 4.2 million viewers. Viewers and critics have called it "staggeringly good", "full of depth" and a "unique crime drama". It’s also been praised for offering a nuanced look at autism that goes beyond stereotypes.
How can I watch Patience series 2?
Channel 4 hasn’t yet shared a release date for Patience series 2, but we do know that filming has commenced. We’d therefore expect it to arrive at some point in early 2026. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we’ll share it here. Until then, you can catch up on series 1 on Channel 4.
