Fans of Channel 4’s “absolutely brilliant” crime drama Patience will be thrilled as the show returns to our screens on Wednesday evening. While the first season aired over six episodes, following its success, the show is now back for eight episodes.

However, there are major changes in store for fans of the York-based show following the departure of lead actress Laura Fraser, who played DI Bea Metcalf. On-screen, fans will discover that Bea unexpectedly left for a new job and has been replaced by DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes).

The dynamic will certainly shift, as while Bea was happy to work with autistic police archivist Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis), Frankie is less than enthusiastic about the prospect and isn’t afraid of making her concerns known.

There is happier news for Patience, however, as Channel 4 confirmed that love was in air for the character, who develops a relationship with colleague Elliot Scott (Tom Lewis).

Jo McGrath, the chief creative officer at Eagle Eye Drama, which co-produces the show, also teased a “more action packed [season], culminating with a nail-biting hostage storyline and a shocking family revelation for Patience”.

What did fans make to the first season?

Many praised the show, with one enthusing: “Absolutely brilliant. The acting is first class, haunting photography and superb story lines. It’s the best series I’ve ever watched, and I can’t wait for the next one Ella Purvis and Laura Fraser effortlessly bounce off each other and there is a gentleness running throughout.

“I have watched it repeatedly and see something new everytime, filmed in the beautiful city of York. Humour and melancholy throughout with a perfectly written script by some obviously very talented people.”

Jessica Hynes and other cast members of Patience© Channel 4
Jessica Hynes has joined the cast for the second season

A second added: “This show has excellent acting, writing, and plotlines. The pace is well done, with just enough suspense and clues intermingled so as to help you try and solve as you watch (if that’s your thing) without giving it away. The characters are well formed, and interesting and the show does a great job of giving us just the amount of character development we need to enjoy the individual episodes and overall series arc.”

A third penned: “Patience is a nice addition to Britains many great crime dramas. Set in beautiful York with the magnificent York Minster in North Yorkshire, England and in Antwerp, Belgium. The 6 episodes are good original stories, not rehashed plots from other crime dramas.”

Ella Maisy Purvis in a scene in Patience© Channel 4
Critics were divided over the first season, despite positive fan reviews

However, the series didn’t entirely land with critics, with Lucy Mangan in The Guardian only awarding the show a two-star rating. “A preposterous plot and terrible dialogue make for a deeply uninspired detective drama,” she wrote. “Its nuance-free take on neurodivergence is embarrassingly clunky.”

Patience’s cast

The series is led by Ella Maisy Purvis (A Kind of Spark), who plays the titular Patience; like her character, Ella also lives with autism, being diagnosed when she was 17. She will be joined in the show by Jessica Hynes (Years and Years) as new officer DI Frankie Monroe.

Also featuring in the cast are Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack), Nathan Welsh (Shetland), Mark Benton (Waterloo Road), Ali Ariaie (The Great) and Adrian Rawlins (Harry Potter).