First Look at Cleddau Series 2 as Award-Winning Welsh Crime Drama Returns With a Disturbing New Case

The haunting Pembrokeshire coastline is about to become the setting for another dark investigation as Cleddau returns for a second series, bringing Elen Rhys and Richard Harrington back together for a new six-part mystery.

S4C has released the first images from the upcoming season, confirming that DI Ffion Lloyd and DS Rick Sheldon will face a case involving a killer who uses a dating app to stalk victims. The series will return in October 2026 and, like its first season, is being filmed back-to-back in Welsh and English.

The Welsh-language version will air as Cleddau, while the English-language edition retains the title The One That Got Away.

Ffion and Rick face a disturbing new investigation

Series two brings DI Ffion Lloyd (Elen Rhys) and DS Rick Sheldon (Richard Harrington) back to the world established in the acclaimed first season.

This time, the detectives become involved in an investigation after a body is discovered in the Cleddau River. Police begin to suspect that a killer is stealing identities and using a dating service to lure women to their deaths.

The case carries an uncomfortable personal connection for Ffion. As she attempts to move forward from her complicated history with Rick, she has been using the same dating service at the centre of the investigation. Meanwhile, Rick is now separated and single, adding another layer to their already difficult relationship.

The newly released images once again put Pembrokeshire at the heart of the drama, with its dramatic coastline providing the atmospheric backdrop for the investigation.

Elen Rhys and Richard Harrington lead the returning cast

Elen Rhys reprises her role as DI Ffion Lloyd, with Richard Harrington returning as DS Rick Sheldon.

Mali Ann Rees is also back as DC “Mogsy” Morgan, alongside Aled Pugh as DS Celyn Howells. Sharon Morgan returns as Delyth Lloyd, William Thomas as Griff Lloyd, Rhian Blythe as Helen Sheldon and Hannah Daniel as Lisa Redwood.

Several new faces are joining the drama for its second outing. Saran Morgan plays DC Catrin Duffy, while Garmon Rhys appears as Tom Danbridge and Mabli Jên Eustace joins as Manon Grant. Gareth David-Lloyd will also appear as Liam Floyd.

A distinctive bilingual production

One of the most unusual elements of Cleddau remains the way it is produced.

Rather than simply dubbing or subtitling one version, the series is filmed back-to-back in Welsh and English. The English-language production is titled The One That Got Away and will also be distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.

Series two consists of six 50-minute episodes and is again created and written by Catherine Tregenna, whose previous credits include Three Pines, Law & Order: UK, Lewis and DCI Banks. Hanna Jarman and Matthew Glyn Jones adapted the scripts into Welsh, while Siôn Ifan directs the new season.

Series one became a major success

The decision to bring Cleddau back follows a strong response to its first season.

The original series introduced Ffion and Rick as former lovers forced to work together when the murder of a nurse shook a quiet West Wales coastal community. Their investigation exposed secrets from the past while reopening unresolved issues between the two detectives.

The show became a major performer for S4C. Its first season achieved the highest average viewing sessions of any non-sport and non-children’s series on the service and recorded an Audience Index score of 86. S4C later said it became the channel’s number-one show of 2025, while its BBC Four run performed 228% above the channel’s slot average.

The drama also found awards recognition, winning Best Drama at the 2025 RTS Cymru Wales Awards. It subsequently received four BAFTA Cymru nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Elen Rhys.

Viewers embraced the mystery

The English-language version also attracted viewers who discovered the series through BBC iPlayer.

Some praised the drama’s twists, lead performances and approach to the serial-killer genre, while others singled out Rhys’s performance as Ffion. Criticism tended to focus on aspects of the police procedure and the predictability of certain developments.

That response nevertheless helped establish Cleddau as another entry in the growing Welsh crime-drama tradition, with its combination of psychological mystery, character drama and striking West Wales scenery becoming central to its identity.

Producer Mared Swain said the reaction to the first season from audiences in Wales and beyond opened up numerous possibilities for continuing the characters and their world. The production team returned to Pembrokeshire for a second investigation that she described as both “gripping and unexpected.”

Series two of Cleddau will arrive on S4C, BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic in October 2026. Series one is currently available on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.