BBC1’s grimy, gritty drama series Taboo starring Tom Hardy will be back for a second series, the BBC has confirmed.


The period drama written by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, will officially return with eight new episodes to BBC1 after star Hardy said that there was more story to tell.

An air date for Taboo series two has yet to be revealed, but writer Knight has previously been confident of a renewal, telling RadioTimes.com that he was expecting at least two more series.

“We think it has got a two and a three certainly, that’s the plan,” Knight said. “After that who knows? This series is eight parts – it’s a lot of time.”

The series will continue to be broadcast on BBC1 in the UK and FX in the United States. Following news of the recommission, star Tom Hardy said, “We are grateful and excited to continue our relationship with the BBC and FX in contributing towards British drama. Fantastic news.”

Steven Knight gave a hint of what was to come by saying that he would be taking James Delaney to the new world, following the series one finale which saw Hardy’s character sail off into the sunset.

“James Delaney will continue to explore many realities as he takes his band of misfits to a new world, thanks to FX and the BBC, partners who could not be more suited to collaborating in ground breaking work,” Knight said.

Director Ridley Scott, who was an executive producer for Taboo, added, “We’re thrilled people want to know what happens next and that the BBC and FX are up for more adventures with the devil Delaney and the league of the damned.

“Along with our international distributors, Sonar Entertainment, the BBC and FX have been great partners, supporting Taboo at every stage so it could be the dark, dirty brute of a drama that it is.”

The BBC confirmed the news in March 2017, explaining that the series had earned its recommission in part because of its success on BBC iPlayer, where it found a growing audience following its unusual Saturday night slot. Episode one earned the BBC its third highest iPlayer audience ever, just behind Sherlock and one-off drama Murdered By My Boyfriend.

“Launching in a new Saturday night slot on BBC1 provided us with an opportunity to take risks and showcase distinctive drama; and the growing talkability of Taboo has engaged younger audiences seeing record numbers coming to iPlayer, with the availability of the box set maximising audiences even further,” said director of BBC content Charlotte Moore. “A second series can’t come soon enough.”

What could happen in Taboo series two?

This article was originally published in 2017