Filming Begins on Second Series of An t-Eilean as New Mystery Emerges in the Western Isles

 

Sorcha Groundsell (Kat Crichton) (Image: Black Camel Pictures)

By Jon Donnis

Filming has officially begun on the second series of the acclaimed Gaelic drama An t-Eilean, also known as The Island. The award winning production continues its story with Sorcha Groundsell reprising her role as Kat Crichton alongside Sam James Smith returning as Ruaraidh Maclean.

The new series expands its cast with Ava Mackinnon, Owen Sutcliffe, Tanith Munro, Aidan O’Callaghan, Debbie Mackay, Yolanda Mitchell, Jamie Quinn, Roxie Mohebbi and Àdhamh Ó Broin all joining the production. The drama has been created by Nicholas Osborne and co written with Mairead Hamilton, continuing their focus on a tightly woven mystery set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Western Isles and the mainland.

Produced by Black Camel Pictures for BBC ALBA, BBC FOUR and BBC iPlayer, the series runs across four episodes, each lasting forty seven minutes. The production remains rooted in its distinctive setting, with much of the filming taking place on location across island and mainland landscapes that shape the tone and tension of the story.

The new series begins with Kat Crichton, played by Sorcha Groundsell, now working as a police sergeant while feeling increasingly strained in both her professional and personal life. She is caring for her ill father and dealing with ongoing low level crime in the local area. Her routine is disrupted when the body of a young woman is discovered beneath a local bridge, pulling her into a far more serious investigation.

As Kat begins to investigate, she uncovers deeper layers within the community, exposing hidden lives and troubling secrets among the islands’ younger residents. The case quickly grows beyond a single incident, forcing her to confront both the investigation and her own long standing connections to the place she calls home.

Sam James Smith returns as Ruaraidh Maclean, who is now running the local youth group. When he begins to suspect that more young islanders may be missing, he finds himself drawn back into Kat’s orbit as the investigation intensifies. His involvement helps deepen the case as it tightens around those closest to the community.

What unfolds is described as a tense and unsettling search for answers, developing into a complex pursuit of a possible serial killer.