EXCLUSIVE: BBC children’s drama Crookhaven is heading back for another semester at high school.
A second season of the show, which is based on the bestselling books from J.J. Arcanjo, has been greenlit, with BBC execs saying it will “go even deeper” into the lore.
Season 2 will once again explore the complicated friendship between pickpocketing genius Gabriel (Lucas Leach) and Penelope (Carmel Laniado), who is the daughter of Crookhaven School headmaster Caspian Lockett (Dougray Scott). It will see the students, known as Crooklings, entering their Miscreant (second) year at the school, “stepping into a fresh term full of dangerous secrets, shifting alliances and shocking betrayal.”
Filming begins this summer in Northern Ireland and is scheduled to launch on BBC television and BBC iPlayer next year. Justin Young (Death in Paradise, Sanditon) is the creator, with BBC Studios Kids & Family making the show, with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
The Creative Director is Tali Walters, while Mark Freeland is executive producer, Jamie Magnus Stone and Aislinn Clarke are the directors, and the producer is Leon McGeown-Fee. Sarah Muller, Senior Head of BBC Children’s Commissioning 7+, ordered the show, with Amy Buscombe as Commissioning Editor. BBC Studios will once again have sales rights.
“Crookhaven struck a real chord with audiences through its originality, ambition and brilliantly twisty storytelling,” said Muller. “Original stories and characters sit at the heart of everything we do, and this series delivers that in abundance, with a world that feels distinctive, inclusive and full of intrigue. Bringing it back for a second series allows us to go even deeper into this rich, morally complex story and raise the stakes for the students of Crookhaven as they return for another unpredictable year.”
Cecilia Persson, Managing Director of BBC Studios Kids & Family, added: “We’re delighted to be able to expand the world further with a second series, allowing us to deepen those connections, raise the stakes, and bring even more viewers along for the journey.”
Crookhaven Season 1 is the highest performing CBBC show on iPlayer in 2026 to date and the highest performing drama on BBC iPlayer for 7-12 audiences, per BBCS Global Insight BARB/ TechEdge/ AdvantEdge/ as viewed. The eight-part drama reached an average audience of 653,000 after 28 days, with 43% of under 16 viewers watching alongside an adult.
