BAFTA winner and Sherwood actor Adeel Akhtar (pictured left) will star in a new story alongside Michael Socha (pictured right), of The Gallows Pole fame and Nathalie Armin (Home), in the series created by Ben Richards of The Diplomat.
Like the first season, the second series will focus on a hard-fought criminal case that divides the nation and takes place under the full spotlight of the media. The plot reads: "When the well-known climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent accident where the perpetrator runs off, he uses his last moments to identify his killer - a police officer on duty. But who is this nameless 'Officer X' What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus' death a careless accident or cold-blooded murder?"
In the first season, Tracy Ifeachor (Treadstone) and Céline Buckens (Warrior (2019)) starred in a story about the arrogant daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur who is arrested after the disappearance of a fellow student.
Showtrial is one of a number of BBC dramas produced by Line of Duty creator World Productions and is created and written by Richards, whose previous credits include COBRA and Spooks.
"I am very grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to write another sensational court case that I hope will be as entertaining as our first season," said Richards. "I love writing Showtrial and I'm honored to have such a high-quality cast."
Filming in Northern Ireland will begin later this year and further casting will be announced in due course. Showtrial is directed by Julia Ford (Everything I Know About Love) and produced by Ken Horn (Line of Duty). Executive producers are Simon Heath and Emma Luffingham for World, with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC.