Liar series two cast – from Joanne Froggatt to Katherine Kelly
THE lies are set to pile up as season two of ITV's mystery drama series Liar continues TONIGHT (March 16).
The show of course returned with a star cast and here's who is on that impressive roll call.
Who stars in Liar 2?
Joanne Froggatt (Laura Nielson)
Downton Abbey actress Joanne, 39, is back for a second series as protagonist Laura Nielson, a school teacher.
She dated Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) in series one - he was the dad of one of her pupils.
Their long-awaited date night is caught up in turmoil as the morning after, Laura believes Andrew has raped her.
Talking of the plot, Joanne told The Sun: “Laura has just broken up with her long-term boyfriend and gets asked out on a date by Andrew, a very charming single dad, and they have what seems to be an amazing time together, but then the story unfolds that the evening didn’t turn out as we imagined.
“Both their lives change dramatically after that night – and they have very differing views of their experiences of the evening.”
The blonde actress revealed how she was left utterly exhausted after filming her role and the mental demands of the hard-hitting storyline.
She : “It brought it home to me how difficult it is for women to have to go through that whole process of reporting this kind of crime and how difficult it is for the police, unable to support them so much of the time.
“It is a reminder of how disappointing that is. Ultimately, I think the only way to change things is by educating young people on what consent is and what consent means.”
Ioan Gruffudd (Andrew Earlham)
Fantastic Four star Ioan, 43, returns in the male lead role of serial rapist Andrew.
His date with Laura in series one found him at the heart of sexual abuse allegations.
Talking of his tricky subject matter he told The Sun: "It’s not pleasant to play in a lot of ways.
"But for the drama to work, you have to love your character. So I was in touch with the psychologist for help in playing somebody who is either like this or being accused of something like this.”
At the end of season one he is found murdered in shallow marshes with his throat slit and his character reappears in series two using flashback sequences.
Zoe Tapper (Katy Sutcliffe)
Kent-born actress Zoe, known for her TV role in Mr Selfridge, plays teacher Laura's sister, Katy.
She is sure to support her sister in the aftermath of Andrew's death with any allegations against her.
Viewers will get a deeper insight into Katy's family life with police putting everyone connected to the murder under intense scrutiny.
Richie Campbell (Liam Sutcliffe)
Actor and assistant director Richie, formerly of BBC drama Waterloo Road, plays Katy Sutcliffe's other-half.
His previous roles saw him step away from the small screen in favour of voicing video games Stories Untold and Nioh, but the success of series one has meant he will reprise his role in the second outing of the drama.
Liam and Katy's family life will become entangled with that of Katy's sister Laura as the inquest into Andrew's death unfolds.
Shelley Conn (DI Vanessa Harmon)
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory star Shelley swapped sweet treats for gritty plotlines as she delved into this hard-hitting drama.
The actress, known to telly fans for her role in Heartbeat, plays DI Vanessa Harmon, who delved into the case of teacher Laura's rape allegations in series one.
She also fell victim to Andrew when she became one of his rape victims herself.
Viewers will now see her alongside a new investigation team as they work to uncover the answers to Andrew's death.
Danny Webb (DS Rory Maxwell)
Londoner Danny Webb is well known to film fans for his role in Alien 3, as well as Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII.
The 59-year-old has had a successful career on the small screen, starring in everything from A Touch Of Frost to Agatha Christie's Poirot, Silent Witness and Midsomer Murders.
So, no stranger to crime storylines, he tackled the role of DS Maxwell working alongside DI Vanessa Harmon on the Liar rape case.
With his previous knowledge of Andrew's convictions no doubt this detective will be working on the murder case.
DI Karen Renton (Katherine Kelly)
Newcomer Katherine Kelly will play the new role of Detective Inspector Karen Renton.
Her previous credentials have included a role as Becky McDonald in Coronation Street, Mr Selfridge, The Night Manager and most recently Cheat.
Writers Harry and Jack Williams spoke out about her joining the show: "Equally we are thrilled to have Katherine Kelly on board as DI Renton after her stellar performance in Cheat."
She will lead the murder investigation into Andrew's death.
Oliver Maltman returns as Nick Pillar, Jamie Fklatters is back as Andrew's son Luke Earlham and Jill Halfpenny makes a comeback as Jennifer.
Cast members joining the show for series two include Howard Charles (The Widow) who will join as Carl Peterson while Emmerdale's Amy Nuttall plays Winnie Peterson.
LATEST LIAR NEWS
When is Liar season two on TV?
Liar airs every Monday night on ITV at 9pm, the next episode is TONIGHT (March 16, 2020).
This new series runs for six episodes.
All episodes are available on the after they have aired.