Will Annika season 2 be on BBC and how to watch Alibi as DI Annika Strandhed’s team take on their toughest cases yet?

“Will Annika season 2 be on BBC?” is a question some fans might have been asking if they’ve recently raced through the first instalment on BBC iPlayer. 

Annika season 2 premiered on Alibi on 9th August and it’s already seen the team taking on even more intense and intriguing cases like never before - alongside welcoming a brand new team member. Starring former Unforgotten lead actor Nicola Walker alongside the likes of Wolf’s Ukweli Roach and Harry Potter’s Katie Leung, the show is based on a radio show and focuses on the Scotland-based Marine Homicide Unit’s investigations. With some signature humour from DI Annika Strandhed along the way, the crimes are dark and devious and the sweeping seascapes are enough to draw any crime drama fans in. 

But will Annika season 2 be on BBC? Here we reveal all we know about whether the hit Nicola Walker drama’s second series will make the move and how to watch Alibi as it continues to air…

Will Annika season 2 be on BBC? 

Whilst Annika storylines might be standalone like Vera Natural Selection and Silent Witness Southbay, the Annika season 1 ending included a personal revelation from DI Annika Strandhed that has remained key to season 2. With this in mind many fans of the hit crime drama might be eager to enjoy the second series, asking themselves - will Annika season 2 be on BBC? Sadly, at the moment there’s been no confirmation of this and Annika season 2 is currently airing exclusively on Alibi in the UK. However, hope isn’t lost as Annika season 1 was also released first exclusively on Alibi but started airing on BBC One in May. 

It also landed on BBC iPlayer, helping to bring DI Strandhed’s unique fourth-wall-breaking approach and her Marine Homicide Unit’s complex cases to a whole new audience. As BBC One and BBC iPlayer are completely free to watch for UK TV licence payers, many people might well have found Annika for the first time this way. If the demand remains there it’s therefore possible that Annika season 2 could also go on to be on BBC One and iPlayer. But even if this does happen at some point fans are likely going to have to be patient. 

The first series of Annika premiered on Alibi in 2021 but it only arrived on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this year. This might mean that there would be a similar two year gap between Annika season 2 airing on Alibi and landing on BBC. If this is the case then fans could potentially have to wait until 2025 to see the drama that way, if it’s confirmed as making the move at all. 

How to watch Alibi 

If you don’t want to wait for confirmation that it could be coming to BBC and BBC iPlayer at some point and want to know how to watch Annika season 2 then you can watch the MHU putting their crime-solving skills to the test over on UKTV’s Alibi. The appropriately-named Alibi is a British pay TV channel with a specific focus on crime dramas, ranging from Annika as an original programme to the likes of Death in Paradise, Shetland and Silent Witness which air on BBC. The channel is available to Sky and Virgin Media subscribers. 

On Sky, Alibi is channel 109 and on Virgin Media it’s channel 126. Unfortunately if you don’t have one of these subscriptions you currently won’t be able to watch Annika season 2 or any of the other great shows Alibi has to offer. You can, however, enjoy Annika season 1 via BBC iPlayer where all six episodes are available to watch now as fans wait to find out if Annika season 2 will be on BBC at some point too.

Annika returned to Alibi for a second series on 9th August and is airing every Wednesday at 9pm until 13th September.