County Antrim actor Seamus O'Hara has joined the cast of the acclaimed Belfast police drama Blue Lights, kicking off one year on from the first series finale. The hit series will return to our screen this spring!
The Cushendun man starred in the Academy Award-winning short film An Irish Goodbye. Seamus joins Blue Lights in his role as Lee Thompson, and is joined by Seána Kerslake (Bad Sisters, Ballywalter) as Lee's sister Mags.
Frank Blake (The Border, Normal People) also is a fresh face in the show, as new Constable Shane Bradley.
Also joining the cast are Craig McGinlay (Cobra) as Lee’s right-hand man Craig, and Dan Gordon (Bloodlands) playing Mags and Lee’s Uncle Rab.
Lee Thompson (Seamus O'Hara) and Mags (Seána Kerslake) (Image: Two Cities Television/BBC)
Frank Blake (Constable Shane Bradley)
The new series sees Grace, Annie and Tommy growing up fast as police officers, but nothing can prepare them for the turmoil they face every day.
It’s a year since the fall of the McIntyre crime gang and the vacuum has been filled by rival gangs, all competing for dominance.
Constable Shane Bradley is drafted in to help, but his motivations are unclear. Tommy is dangerously seduced by the world of intelligence policing, while Grace struggles to deal with her son’s absence, and growing feelings for fellow officer Stevie.
As a young loyalist threatens to take over the city, the officers face a major gangland feud – culminating in a violent and devastating confrontation.
Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) and Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) (Image: Two Cities Television/BBC)
Stevie Neil (Martin McCann) and Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke) (Image: Two Cities Television/BBC)
Writers and directors Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, said:
“Blue Lights is a very personal project for us, set in the city where we live, so for us making this show is a special kind of privilege.
"In series two we join our officers exactly a year after the events of series one, and now they’re facing a whole new set of professional and personal challenges. We’re very excited indeed about bringing you this next chapter of the Blue Lights story. Take a beat!”
Nick Lambon, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, Northern Ireland, says:
“We can’t wait for viewers to join another shift with the fantastic returning cast of Blue Lights, as well as meet some surprising new recruits to the team. Declan and Adam’s scripts promise new dangers and high-stakes drama for all our officers, proving that a year into the job, these rookies still have a lot more to learn.”
Sandra Cliff (Andi Osho)
Reprising their roles in the second series are Siân Brooke (Grace Ellis), Martin McCann (Stevie Neil), Katherine Devlin (Annie Conlon), Nathan Braniff (Tommy Foster), Joanne Crawford (Helen McNally), Andi Osho (Sandra Cliff), and Hannah McClean (Jen Robinson).
Also set to return are Paddy Jenkins (Happy Kelly), Desmond Eastwood (Murray Canning), Andrea Irvine (Nicola Robinson), Aoibhéann McCann (Geraldine Gilroy) and Abigail McGibbon (Tina McIntyre).
Blue Lights launched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in March 2023 to five-star rave reviews and more than 7 million viewers (28-day figure). It was in the top ten new drama series of 2023 across all broadcasters and streamers, and the biggest drama series in Northern Ireland in 2023.
Series one of Blue Lights has already travelled across the globe including, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway and across several Asian countries including India, Singapore and Malaysia.