April 9

How has Blue Lights moved on for Canning?

Murray Canning finds himself working with the PCTF – Paramilitary Crime Task Force and has been set the challenge of investigating the increasing drug problem in the city centre. He’s handpicked Constable Shane Bradley to help with that. We see him using various police officers with different skills and qualities to gather intel and get to the bottom of what’s going on out on the streets of Belfast.

Why does Canning recruit Tommy to join his intelligence gathering and what does he see in him?

Canning sees Tommy displaying certain aptitudes that lead him to think Tommy would be a great asset to his intelligence led police unit. In addition he sees Bradley as a heavy-handed officer who doesn’t mind getting into the less savoury aspects of the job. Canning takes the view there are alternative ways

How does Canning deal with the friction that arises between him and Helen McNally?

Inspector NcNally does everything by the book which in Canning’s opinion can only get you so far. Murray likes to bend the rules to get results. It would seem that their superior officer, Nicola Robinson shares that point of view and is always looking at the wider picture. Helen and Canning clash at times and despite having different ways of doing things they ultimately want the same thing.

Is Canning a good police detective?

Murray Canning is a good police detective albeit at times he crosses the line in order to achieve results. In his opinion that has to be done. He makes mistakes but ultimately he’s trying to do the right thing. He interacts a lot more with McNally and Chief Inspector Nicola Robinson this series to try and achieve a desirable outcome.

Why do you think the show was such a big success and resonated with audiences?

There’s a number of things. Certainly a major part of the success is down to the writers / creators Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. With their journalistic backgrounds, they’ve provided vast amounts of detail the level of research they put in has made Blue Lights very authentic and realistic. It’s set in Belfast, made by the people from Northern Ireland and that shines through on the screen.

How would you describe the show in a few sentences?

An authentic, vibrant, dynamic portrayal of front line police work in Belfast.

All six episodes in Blue Lights season 2 will arrive on BBC iPlayer at 6am on Monday 15th April, before the first episode airs on BBC One at 9pm that evening.

The rest of the season is then expected to air weekly on BBC One.

Filming on the season took place in summer 2023 in Belfast.