Sky Orders “Second Chapter” of Rafe Spall-Starring Crime Drama ‘Under Salt Marsh’
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Sky has commissioned a second series of its crime drama Under Salt Marsh, with Rafe Spall returning as the enigmatic Detective Eric Bull. In the new instalment, Bull relocates to a remote Scottish mining village where a murder investigation draws him closer to secrets from his own past. The renewal follows a strong debut for the show, which became Sky's biggest original drama launch since The Day of the Jackal and its top entertainment title of the year so far, reflecting the broadcaster's confidence in the series.
The six-part follow-up is created, written and directed by Claire Oakley, alongside co-writers In-Sook Chappell, Jonathan Harbottle and Scott Graham, and is produced by Little Door Productions in association with Sky Studios. The first series, set in the fictional Welsh village of Morfa Halen, launched in January 2026 and reached a 28-day audience of 2.5 million. Filming on the new series is set to begin in Scotland in 2027, with the show continuing to air on Sky and Now in the UK, Ireland and Italy, while NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handles international sales.
- Sky renews Under Salt Marsh for a second series with Rafe Spall
- New plot moves the detective to a Scottish mining village
- Filming starts 2027; series one drew 2.5m viewers in 28 days
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Under Salt Marsh is a crime drama for Sky that first aired in January 2026, starring Rafe Spall as Detective Eric Bull. The first series was set in a fictional Welsh village and became one of the broadcaster's biggest hits in recent years, drawing an audience of 2.5 million within its first month.
Sky has now announced a second series, moving the story to a remote Scottish mining village, where Bull's investigation into a murder is expected to bring him face to face with his own past. The show is written by Claire Oakley, along with In-Sook Chappell, Jonathan Harbottle and Scott Graham, and made by Little Door Productions in partnership with Sky Studios.
The renewal matters both as a marker of confidence from Sky, given the first series' strong performance, and as a sign of the broadcaster's wider push into original drama. The new series will be sold internationally and is due to begin filming in 2027, with broadcast planned across the UK, Ireland and Italy.
Full account
Sky has commissioned a second run of its crime drama Under Salt Marsh, with Rafe Spall returning as the brooding Detective Eric Bull, the broadcaster confirmed on Wednesday. The new run, currently referred to only as the "second chapter" pending a title, will comprise six episodes and continue directly from where the first series left off. In it, Bull relocates to a remote mining community in Scotland described as "sinking under the weight of its own secrets", where investigating a murder draws him nearer to unresolved elements of his own history.
The commission follows a strong debut run for the series, which launched in January 2026 and went on to become Sky's best-performing original drama launch since The Day of the Jackal, as well as its top-performing entertainment title of the year so far, drawing a 28-day audience of 2.5 million. That first series was shot in Wales and set in the invented coastal village of Morfa Halen, and centred on Bull's investigation into the death of an eight-year-old pupil; its cast included Kelly Reilly, Naomi Yang and Harry Lawtey alongside Spall. The follow-up will shift the action to a different, equally atmospheric setting north of the border, with filming due to begin in Scotland in 2027.
Under Salt Marsh is the creation of writer-director Claire Oakley, who both devised the series and steers its scripts, working alongside fellow writers In-Sook Chappell, Jonathan Harbottle and Scott Graham. Zoranna Piggott serves as series producer, while the executive producer roster brings together Elwen Rowlands of production company Little Door, Oakley herself, and Sky's Megan Spanjian. Little Door is making the series in association with Sky Studios, and NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will oversee sales of the show internationally.
Sky executives framed the renewal as a vote of confidence in Oakley's storytelling and Spall's performance. Meghan Lyvers, the broadcaster's managing director of scripted originals, said the series had "deeply connected" with viewers and praised Oakley's ability to conjure richly drawn characters and a strong sense of place, while crediting Spall with bringing complexity and humanity to Bull. Rowlands similarly pointed to audiences' warm response to the show's atmosphere and characters, saying the second series would introduce a new community and mystery while broadening the emotional world established in series one. The new episodes will air on Sky and stream on Now in the UK, Ireland and Italy.
Where outlets differ
The Hollywood Reporter is the only outlet to specify that series one was filmed in Wales and set in the fictional village of Morfa Halen; Variety and Deadline omit this detail entirely.
Variety alone names series one's supporting cast (Kelly Reilly, Naomi Yang, Harry Lawtey) and its central case (the death of an eight-year-old pupil); THR and Deadline do not mention the plot of the first series or its cast.
Variety identifies Eddie Redmayne as the star of The Day of the Jackal when making the ratings comparison; THR and Deadline reference the show only by title, without naming its lead.
Only Variety carries a quote from creator Claire Oakley, including her comment that she had teased the possibility of a second series to Variety back in February — a detail that reflects that outlet's own prior coverage rather than new information from the other two.
Variety and Deadline both quote Sky's Meghan Lyvers at length; THR does not include any comment from Lyvers, featuring only Elwen Rowlands' remarks.
Deadline's account of the filming timeline is slightly garbled, stating filming will begin "in Scotland in 2027 and next year", whereas THR and Variety state simply that filming starts in Scotland in 2027.
Deadline's piece ends with a flippant reader comment questioning how many times crime dramas of this type can be "remade", which is an aside rather than reported fact and is not reflected in the other two accounts.