Stephen Merchant’s comedy thriller, The Outlaws, returns to UK TV screens on BBC One on Sunday 5 June 2022 and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

Originally created by Merchant and Elgin James (co-creator of US series Mayans M.C.) The series follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. 

The six-part second series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Nordics. 


The Outlaws series one was BBC’s biggest comedy launch of 2021 and has been streamed more than 11 million times on BBC iPlayer. 

Following on directly from the first series, The Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences - but now they must face the fallout from their actions. If they thought the criminal underworld or the local police were done with them, they are sorely mistaken. The Outlaws must depend on one another while working with unlikely allies to atone for their sins - but can they save themselves without sacrificing their souls? 

Christopher Walken on set
Image: Christopher Walken in The Outlaws series 2.

The second series will see the return of Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken, alongside writer and star Stephen Merchant, with Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jessica Gunning, Charles Babalola, Nina Wadia, Tom Hanson and Aiyana Goodfellow as Esme. 

Guest stars include Julia Davis, Dolly Wells, Ian McElhinney and Claes Bang. 

Stephen Merchant says: "I am overwhelmed by the wonderful response to The Outlaws. Audiences have fallen in love with the characters as much as I have and my Twitter feed is inundated with people asking for updates on series two, so I’m delighted to confirm the entire gang will return for more adventures. If we made The Outlaws sweat in Series One, we’re really turning the heat up second time round." 

Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, says: “The Outlaws entertained BBC viewers across the nation last autumn and we are thrilled to say the series was the BBC’s biggest comedy launch of the year. We can’t wait for fans to see what Stephen has in store for this second series as our Outlaws come face to face with the consequences of their actions.” 

Clare Perkins and Stephen Merchant on set
Image: Clare Perkins and Stephen Merchant in The Outlaws series 2.

The series is created by Stephen Merchant and Elgin James. Executive Producers are Stephen Merchant for Four Eyes, Luke Alkin, Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice for Big Talk, and Tanya Qureshi is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC. 

The Outlaws is a co-production between BBC One and Amazon Studios. BBC Studios are handling global distribution. 

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All images credit: BBC, Amazon Studios, Big Talk, Four Eyes.

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