Filming starts on Series 2 of The Wrong Mans

Friday 22nd August 2014, 11:33am

The Wrong Mans. Image shows from L to R: Sam (Mathew Baynton), Phil (James Corden). Copyright: BBC / Hulu

Filming has started on the second series of The Wrong Mans, the critically acclaimed comedy thriller created by and starring James Corden and Mathew Baynton.

Four new 30 minute episodes are now being filmed for BBC Two and Hulu in America, and some clues about the plot of the episodes have emerged.

The new series will see Sam and Phil, the office workers whose hum-drum existence was turned upside-down by a case of mistaken identity in Series 1, head on an international quest to prove, once again, they are 'the wrong mans'. In the process, the hapless friends find themselves in deeper, darker danger than ever before.

After earning their status as hometown heroes, Sam and Phil are blasted back to zeroes again. Now they must make a difficult choice; hide in the dark and be forgotten forever or brave it in a world that doesn't even think they exist.

The BBC says: "Their globetrotting adventures take them across deserts, through tunnels, inside prisons, on board planes and trains, as they duck knives, dodge bullets and deal with WMDs. But the cartels, the terrorists and the spooks they encounter have underestimated Sam and Phil's determination to get home for Christmas and reclaim their lives."

James Corden and Mathew Baynton, who are now filming on location, say: "We're thrilled to be bringing The Wrong Mans back to the BBC, who along with Hulu have supported the show so passionately. This new series is bigger and bolder and presumably a total nightmare for our director. If Series 1 was the frying pan, this is the fire."

Director and producer Jim Field Smith adds: "I'm really looking forward to putting Mat and James through even more pain and violence than last time. Sorry, I mean Sam and Phil."

The Wrong Mans. Image shows from L to R: Sam (Mathew Baynton), Phil (James Corden). Copyright: BBC / Hulu

The new series will see Sarah Solemani return in the role of Lizzie Green, Sam's ex-girlfriend and former boss. Dawn French is back as Phil's fragile mum Linda Bourne too, and Rebecca Front reprises her role as the unrepentant head of MI5. Other returning cast members include co-writer Tom Basden as Sam's former colleague Noel and Alec Utgoff as a strangely familiar Russian agent.

Guest cast for the new series includes Anastasia Griffith (Damages) as Miller, an ambitious DEA Special Agent on the trail of Mexican drug kingpin Carlos Espinosa, portrayed by Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto). John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory) will play Espinosa's unscrupulous attorney Kinsmann.

Olivier Award-winner Bertie Carvel stars in the role of Nathan Cross, an unpredictable White Supremacist with a secret, and Ray Panthaki (Kidulthood) portrays Khalil, who enlists Sam and Phil to help him bring down a terrorist gang. Other guest stars include Samantha Spiro (Grandma's House) and Trevor Cooper (Holby City).

BBC commissioner Shane Allen comments: "This series injects plenty more comedy gas into the action thriller tank. James and Mat have written a taut and exhilarating follow-on with deft plot twists, epic cliff-hangers, and a carpet bomb of tremendous gags and scenarios throughout. Strap in, comedy doesn't get more adventurous than this."

Below is the trailer used to promote the first series:

In this video, filmed ahead of the first series, the stars and director discuss creating the programme:

This behind-the-scenes video from Series 1 focuses on the production team as they prepare to find one of the ambitious stunt scenes in the final episode:

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