{"id":526449,"date":"2026-07-15T00:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/526449\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T00:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:36:21","slug":"the-pinnacle-of-detective-dramas-inside-the-epic-return-of-channel-5s-top-rated-series-cooper-fry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/526449\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe pinnacle of detective dramas\u201d: Inside the \u201cepic\u201d return of Channel 5\u2019s top-rated series Cooper & Fry"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you get when you combine a perfectly mismatched detective duo, a glorious setting and a series of perplexing murders? The pinnacle of detective dramas<\/a>, otherwise known as Cooper & Fry<\/a>. And if you haven\u2019t yet seen it, now\u2019s the time to catch up as Channel 5 has announced that the top-rated series is making a pretty epic return. <\/p>\n

Why epic, you ask? Well, the broadcaster has decided to bring us double the number of episodes, which means twice the number of murders to solve. We\u2019re also being treated to some very exciting fresh faces, the return of some our favourites, plus heaps more personal drama for our titular detective duo. <\/p>\n

With filming on the series currently underway, here\u2019s everything you need to know about Cooper & Fry\u2019s supersized second series, including the plot, cast, and expected release date.<\/p>\n

What is Cooper & Fry about?\"two<\/p>\n

Channel 5<\/p>\n

Set in the fictional Peak District town of Edendale, the first four-part series, which first aired in November last year, introduces us to mismatched detective duo Ben Cooper (Robert James-Collier) and Diane Fry (Mandip Gill). Diane has been brought in from Leeds and can be somewhat prickly and logical, while Cooper is more timid and emotional. <\/p>\n

Adapted from four of Stephen Booth\u2019s bestselling novels, including Black Dog, Dying to Sin, Blind to the Bones and Dancing with the Virgins, the pair find themselves tasked with investigating a series of strange deaths in the Peak District, starting with a body found buried on a local farm. And while their investigations prove challenging, to say the least, their personal lives are just as complex, with Ben dealing with his father\u2019s unsolved murder and Diane dealing with an obsessive ex-partner. <\/p>\n

What will happen in Cooper & Fry series 2? \"ben<\/p>\n

Leanne Sullivan<\/p>\n

As we mentioned, Channel 5 is treating us to a whopping 8 episodes in series 2 (double that of series 1), which means we can expect an extra helping of drama \u2013 and many more murders to solve. The new episodes will once again be adapted from Stephen Booth\u2019s novels and will cover The Devil\u2019s Edge, Fall Down Dead, One Last Breath and The Murder Road. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, our favourite titular detective duo will return and they\u2019ll once again be investigating a string of eerie murder cases in the mystery-shrouded Peak District. According to Channel 5\u2019s official synopsis: \u201cBuilding on the unique friendship forged in series one, Ben and Diane will navigate cases steeped in the legendary folklore of the area, all while battling each other\u2019s conflicting investigation styles and facing their complicated personal lives head on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"diane<\/p>\n

Leanne Sullivan<\/p>\n

In terms of personal drama, at the end of series 1, Ben finally uncovered the identity of his father\u2019s killer, so we\u2019re expecting some repercussions from that. We also saw Ben warn off Diane\u2019s obsessive ex-partner \u2013 and, no spoilers, but it\u2019s fairly safe to say he probably won\u2019t be staying away for long. <\/p>\n

Star Mandip Gill says of the new series: \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to be returning to Cooper & Fry after the brilliant reaction to series one. It\u2019s a real pleasure to be working alongside Rob again and I\u2019m excited for audiences to see where the story takes us this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ben<\/p>\n

Leanne Sullivan<\/p>\n

Robert James-Collier added: \u201cI’m thrilled to be back playing DC Ben Cooper along with my good friend Mandip Gill in the role of Diane Fry. The audience really warmed to the first series of Cooper & Fry and we hope they will again, so stay tuned as we have lots more murders to solve and all sorts of strange goings-on down in Edendale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan Hall, Executive Producer, Clapperboard, also gave a hint of what\u2019s to come, sharing: \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to be returning to the Peak District with Cooper & Fry for a new set of gripping murder mysteries. Steve Booth\u2019s fantastic novels are packed with memorable characters and atmospheric crimes that we\u2019re looking forward to bringing to 5 soon.\u201d <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s in the cast of Cooper & Fry series 2?\"diane<\/p>\n

Leanne Sullivan<\/p>\n

The cast of Cooper & Fry series 2 includes the following returning cast members: <\/p>\n

Robert James-Collier (The Inheritance, Downton Abbey) as Ben Cooper Mandip Gill (Doctor Who, Can You Keep a Secret?<\/a>) as Diane FryLorcan Cranitch (Blue Lights, Leonard and Hungry Paul) as DI Hitchens Charlotte Bradley (The Dry, Arctic Circle) as Isobel CooperThey will also be joined by some new faces, including: Pollyanna McIntosh-Goldthwait (The Walking Dead, Vikings: Valhalla) as DI Kim ArmstrongScott Graham (Vikings, Redemption) as DC Gavin MurfinKathy Rose O\u2019Brien (Small Town, Big Story, Deadly Cuts) as Liz PettyIs Cooper & Fry any good? \"person<\/p>\n

Channel 5<\/p>\n

Yes \u2013 while it\u2019s not the most original story, there\u2019s plenty of love about Ben and Diane and their personal lives provide enough drama to make it a very watchable series. It also has a pretty gritty edge, which will no doubt please fans of shows like Shetland and Happy Valley.<\/p>\n

How can I watch Cooper & Fry series 2?<\/p>\n

While Channel 5 hasn\u2019t yet shared a release date for Cooper & Fry series 2, we do know that filming is currently underway and that it will air in 2027. In the meantime, you can catch up on series 1 on 5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What other detective dramas can I watch now?\"three<\/p>\n

ITV<\/p>\n

For a brilliant British series that\u2019ll take you to the heart of a missing persons unit, we\u2019d recommend Chasing Shadows<\/a>. The four-part drama revolves around DS Sean Stone (played by Reece Shearsmith) and his professional partner Ruth Hattersley (Alex Kingston) and they make quite the dynamic duo. You can watch Chasing Shadows now on ITVX<\/a>. If you enjoyed Broadchurch, we\u2019d suggest its US counterpart (of sorts) Gracepoint<\/a>. The remake sadly doesn\u2019t see Olivia Colman reprise her role as DS Ellie Miller, but David Tennant does play the lead investigator Emmett Carver, with Anna Gunn playing his sidekick. Gracepoint is available to watch now on Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What do you get when you combine a perfectly mismatched detective duo, a glorious setting and a series…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526450,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[10573,260356,260355,156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":["post-526449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-channel-5","tag-cooper-fry","tag-detective-drama","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}