BLACK DOVES SEASON 2 IS OFFICIALLY IN PRODUCTION — AND IT’S BIGGER THAN EVER 👀
Keira Knightley’s hit Netflix spy thriller is now filming across the UK, and insiders tease more betrayal, more secrets, and a deadly new mission that will test everything Helen Webb thought she knew.
From explosive set leaks to whispers of a shocking twist, Season 2 is shaping up to be one of Netflix’s MOST ANTICIPATED RETURNS of 2025 — and fans are already counting the days until its RELEASE DATE reveal.
Black Doves Season 2: Now In Production And Everything We Know So Far
Filming on the Kiera Knightley series is now underway in the United Kingdom.
Black Doves made a splash as Netflix’s holiday-season spy thriller in 2024, and fans can rest easy knowing more is on the way. The series – led by Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw – was quickly given a season 2 renewal, but when can you expect it to return to your screens, and what’s the latest? We’ve got everything you need to know.
As mentioned, Black Doves will return for a second season on Netflix. In fact, Netflix renewed the show before Season 1 even premiered, an almost unheard-of vote of confidence. The early renewal was announced during the Edinburgh TV Festival in August 2024, months ahead of the December 2024 Season 1 debut. Creator Joe Barton has admitted he was shocked by the speedy greenlight, joking that this had “never happened” to him and that most shows he works on “get cancelled almost instantly”
The early renewal decision proved to be a good choice, as the series delivered for Netflix. It spent six weeks in the global top 10 lists, picking up 248.8 million viewing hours, equating to 45.3 million completed views. It also featured in the weekly top 10s across all 92 Netflix regions, with some of the highest-performing regions including the United Kingdom and Ireland, which featured in those top 10s for 8 and 7 weeks, respectively. It also ran for six weeks in regions such as Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Denmark, Croatia, and Greece.
Most importantly, in an interview with The Telegraph, it was revealed that Prince William was watching the series alongside the Princess of Wales.
Where is Black Doves season 2 in production? When will season 2 release on Netflix?
Netflix has not announced a release date for Season 2, but don’t expect new episodes for a while. 2026 is the likeliest target we think, perhaps sometime in the latter months of the year. Showrunner Joe Barton has confirmed the story is not locked to Christmas, so the team has flexibility to film and release when it makes sense.
As a reminder, season 1 began filming in October 2023 and hit Netflix in early December 2024 – a roughly 14-month turnaround. For Season 2, production is slated to run later (more on that below), which makes a late 2026 premiere most probable.
As we’ve been reporting, the initial plan was to begin filming by July 2025, but that schedule changed. According to industry reports, pre-production began in June 2025, and the start of filming was pushed to September 29, 2025.
While we didn’t get confirmation from Netflix, a few eyewitnesses and Kiera Knightley confirmed that filming was underway as of the week of September 30th, 2025. She told Vogue, “We started filming this week!”
As mentioned, one Instagram user caught the series in production in London on October 7th:
According to our intel, the series will be in production for 20 weeks from that initial late September start date, which means it won’t wrap until mid-February 2026.
Who is in the Black Doves season 2 cast?
One of Black Doves’ strengths is its stellar cast, and the majority of Season 1’s characters survived the finale – meaning most of the main cast is expected to reprise their roles in Season 2. Netflix hasn’t put out an official cast list, but here are the familiar faces likely returning:
Keira Knightley as Helen Webb
Ben Whishaw as Sam Young
Sarah Lancashire as “Mrs. Reed”
Andrew Buchan as Wallace Webb
Omari Douglas as Michael
Ella Lily Hyland as “Williams”
Gabrielle Creevy as “Eleanor”
Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming
Luther Ford as Hector Newman
Kathryn Hunter as Lenny Lines
Knightley has confirmed we’ll see some new faces in season 2, and while we’ve got wind of one or two of them, we’re currently locked in secrecy. Stay tuned!
What to Expect in Black Doves Season 2
Season 1 ended with several explosive twists, and Season 2 looks set to build on those threads with even higher stakes. Helen’s husband, Wallace, is on the verge of becoming Prime Minister, which could place her at the heart of British politics while she continues to live a secret life as a spy. Being both the First Lady of Downing Street and an undercover operative will create enormous pressure, and her dual worlds are bound to collide. Expect more political intrigue, personal danger, and moments where Helen’s loyalties are tested on every level.
Another major thread heading into Season 2 is the fallout between Helen and her handler, Mrs. Reed. The revelation that Helen’s nanny was secretly a Black Doves operative planted by Reed sets the stage for serious trust issues. Helen’s entire family was unknowingly compromised, and that betrayal will almost certainly come back to haunt both women. How far Reed is willing to go “for the greater good” — and how much control she truly has over Helen’s life — will be central to the tension moving forward.
Piture: Netflix
Meanwhile, Sam Young’s story takes a darker turn. After the events of the finale, Sam strikes a deal with Hector Newman’s crime family to protect himself and Helen. That alliance gives him cover but also entangles him in new obligations that could threaten his independence. His decision may pull him deeper into the criminal underworld, forcing him to balance old loyalties with new dangers. Fans can expect a heavier focus on Sam’s moral conflicts and the consequences of his past choices.
The Season 1 finale also teased a lighter, unexpected subplot: Williams, Eleanor, and Kai-Ming — the hitwoman duo and their newly rescued friend — are alive, free, and potentially forming a small-time “assassin agency” of their own. Creator Joe Barton has hinted they could return as a resourceful, unconventional trio, giving the next chapter more room for humor and chaos amid the tension. Their survival means they may rejoin Helen and Sam when new threats arise.
Finally, expect deeper insight into Helen’s past and the emotional cost of her double life. Barton and Knightley have both hinted that the show will explore what originally pushed Helen into espionage, as well as the cracks forming in her marriage to Wallace. Her love for him is genuine, but every lie she tells widens the gap between them. With Reed still manipulating events from the shadows, Season 2 promises more personal drama woven into the espionage — a mix of domestic unease, high-stakes politics, and sharp spy storytelling that defined the first season.
Going back to that Vogue interview with Knightley, the actress confirmed the following about where we’re heading next: “In terms of what people can expect, there’s more murder and mayhem, and more cashmere, obviously. Ben and I wanted to kill people together this time because we didn’t get to do that last time. I’m not going to say whether or not that happens, but the action sequences are coming together nicely. And we’ve got some new characters who are really fun. We did the read-through the other day, and it’s really exciting.”
That’s all the intel we have on Black Doves Season 2 at the moment. If you want some more Kiera Knightley on your screens, you can watch her in the recently released mystery thriller The Woman in Cabin 10, which we gave a 2 1/2 star rating. Are you excited for what’s to come? Let us know in the comments.
