‘Gripping’ crime drama that viewers binged in 1 night returns after 3-year wait

Siân Reese-Williams stars in The Light in the Hall: Still Waters, which returns to Channel 4 on 16 June after three years

he gripping crime drama, The Light in the Hall, is finally returning to screens this month, so mark your calendars now!

It’s been three long years since the first season hooked us on Channel 4. If you missed its initial run, the series originally debuted in Welsh on S4C back in 2022 before making its English-language debut.

The first chapter, which viewers binge-watched in one sitting, starred BAFTA winner Joanna Scanlan as a grieving mother desperately searching for answers 18 years after her daughter’s disappearance.

light in the hall© Photo: Channel 4
Joanna Scanlan starred in series one

This time around, we’re headed back to the fictional Welsh village of Llanemlyn. The new season follows a journalist who gets dangerously tangled up in a web of betrayal and dark secrets while digging into a town bombing from 1995.

Show creator Regina Moriarty is back at the helm, while the cast has welcomed some impressive talent, including Mark Lewis Jones (Stella) and Robert Glenister (Sherwood).

woman standing by lake© Paul Andrew / S4C
Siân Reese-Williams leads the cast

If you’re a fan of atmospheric, slow-burn mysteries about small towns hiding big secrets, you’re going to want to clear your schedule for this one.

Here is everything you need to know before the show’s return.

What is The Light in the Hall: Still Waters about?

Season two sees Siân Reese-Williams reprise her role as Caryl, who has returned to education to become a journalist. While looking for a story, she becomes fascinated by the death of Llyr Owen in an explosion at a reservoir in 1995. Llyr’s cousin Rhys, who was convicted of the murder, returns to the town after serving thirty years in prison.

The official synopsis reads: “Told across two timelines, the story begins in 1995, when activist Llyr Owen dies in a bombing and his cousin Rhys is jailed for the crime. Thirty years later, Rhys returns home to a community once again divided by protest.

close up of man standing in front of cars© Paul Andrew / S4C
Robert Glenister plays Robert Davies

“As trainee journalist Caryl becomes drawn into the story, her investigation begins to unravel hidden truths, exposing secrets that have shaped the town for decades, in a gripping drama of protest, guilt and generational reckoning.”

Who stars in season two?

Siân Reese-Williams, who you’ll know from Emmerdale and Wolf, leads the cast as Caryl Huws.

She’s joined by Mark Lewis-Jones (Stella, Outlander) as Rhys Owen, Nia Roberts (Keeping Faith, Steeltown Murders) as Eve Davies and Robert Glenister (Sherwood, Strike) as Robert Davies.

young man and women standing on bridge© Paul Andrew / S4C
Tom Rhys Harries and Maeve Courtier Lilley star in season two

The supporting cast includes Tom Rhys Harries (Unforgotten) as Hari Breckon, Maeve Courtier-Lilley (The Red King) as Mabli Davies Owen and Wyn Bowen Harries (Steeltown Murders) as Bryn Owen.

Other cast members include Mali Tudno Jones as Megan Breckon, Matthew Gravelle as Gareth Breckon and Gillian Elisa as Eunice.

How to watch The Light in the Hall: Still Waters

The Light in the Hall: Still Waters comes to Channel 4 on Tuesday 16 June at 9pm.

CRE: https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/905635/gripping-crime-drama-the-light-in-the-hall-returns-after-3-years/