Black Doves season two

When Joe Barton’s Black Doves first hit our screens in 2024, it fast became one of the most pleasant and thrilling surprises of the year. Assembling a delectable cast including Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire, what unfolded was a dark and comical venture into the world of spies as they lived and operated all around us, and in Knightley’s case, in the highest offices of government. Now, agent Knightley (Helen) and hitman Whishaw (Sam) are back for more, armed to the gills and uncovering more secrets as they are forced to fight back against a system that is beginning to conspire against them.

Knightley was an instant smash hit as the intelligence-gathering, gun-toting, skull-crushing housewife in series one, and in this latest series she is no different. The only difference and major hurdle for her this time is that she is now the UK prime minister’s wife. When her handler Reed (Lancashire) goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Helen must do all she can to watch her own back while also searching for answers from retired black doves. Effortlessly, she again leads the action with the grit, determination and plausibility that even the wife of the PM can operate as a covert spy.

In this series, the emotional stakes remain higher than ever, depicted expertly by Whishaw in particular, who fights his own internal conflicts about those close to him and his general ethics and purpose in life, whereas Helen carefully handles her crumbling marriage and home life. There is also a very welcome addition to the cast in the form of Ambika Mod as a young and shameless black dove, who, alongside Helen, makes several fight sequences highly entertaining viewing. The audience also gets an interesting glimpse into history through Lancashire’s storyline, as we meet older operatives from her time in Berlin, albeit some of them for not very long, as loose ends are slowly tied up by Sam.

Black Doves is once again a Slow Horses meets Bond meets Guy Ritchie adventure in all of the good ways, filmed beautifully, dynamically and in just the perfect way to grip viewers from start to finish. Season two is yet another highly satisfying romp through the world of espionage, anchored professionally by its lead stars and showing that, no matter how saturated the TV drama world may be becoming with gun-firing action dramas, if written well, there is always time and space for more.

Guy Lambert

Black Doves season two is released on Netflix on 5^th November 2026.

Watch the trailer for Black Doves season two here: