Patience series two: York crime drama hit returns to Channel 4 with 'tiramisu' energy
Channel 4 crime drama Patience, set and filmed in York, is returning for its second series after being a hit last year. Cast members talk to John Blow.
Clearly, high drama is happening in a York Minster which is uncharacteristically devoid of its usual visiting crowds.
At least it was on when the press was invited to the city on a balmy day last summer as shooting for the second series of Channel 4’s Patience was under way.
The scenes filmed in the famous Minster that day in June were, we were told, a significant plot point, but obviously nobody close to the production was going to risk spoilers a good six months before the latest shows were even broadcast.
Well, the day has arrived. C4’s biggest drama series of 2025 has returned for the beginning of 2026 and while details of what’s occurring in the great cathedral are under wraps, star cast member Ella Maisy Purvis has a curious description of the second series: it’s like tirumasu.
“In Italian tiramisu means to liven up, or more energy, and there's a lot more energy (in this series),” says Purvis. “There’s more interesting dynamics.”
Patience Evans is a young autistic woman - as is Purvis, who portrays the character - who works in the criminal records department but in an unorthodox arrangement, collaborates with the fictional City of York police to solve mysterious cases.
In the new series of the show, which was originally adapted from the French show Astrid et Raphaëlle, Patience finds romance with colleague Elliot, while her search for her mother yields clues.
However, chief among those interesting dynamics Purvis mentioned is the introduction of Jessica Hynes as DI Frankie Monroe, meaning Patience has to work to prove herself again.
Hynes, who co-wrote and starred alongside Simon Pegg in their 1990s comedy Spaced and has more recently been seen in Miss Austen, was thrilled to join the cast after the departure of Laura Fraser as DI Bea Metcalf.
Hynes’ character arrives in “a bit of a hurry and maybe under a bit of a cloud that we find out more about throughout the series,” she says.
"She’s quite direct and quite forthright and quite strong, but she also doesn't know this gang, so she's sort of figuring them out, they're figuring her out, they’re not sure if the blend’s going to work.
"You discover that because of where she's come from and the situation she's come, it means she's got more reason to be cautious. So that sort of tension definitely feeds into the drama.
“She wants to do the job by the book, which is also why, initially, she's not sure about Patience, because having somebody from the criminal records office join them on the criminal cases is definitely not by the book.”
Hynes has fond memories of the North Yorkshire city from decades ago.
"I worked in York 30 years ago at the Theatre Royal, I did a production of Blithe Spirit. I had my first taste of ginger parkin, which I’ve never had anywhere else!”
She remembers staying in “lovely digs with a family who had doves”.
The other main cast members are Mark Benton as Calvin Baxter, Nathan Welsh as DS Jake Hunter, Tom Lewis as Elliot Scott and Ali Ariaie as DC Will Akbari.
Guisborough-born Benton says that Hynes coming into the show has brought an “injection of energy”.
What can Purvis tell us of where series one finished and where things go this time?
"We end the (first) series with Patience discovering a string of numbers that her mother left her on a prized himitsu baku box, a puzzle she's been trying to solve throughout the series. Patience has been ruminating and obsessing over these numbers for several weeks as she continues her work with York Police.
"DI Metcalf, to her knowledge, is on leave, which allows Patience to strengthen her relationship with Jake, in particular, but also Will and Baxter. But with the news Bea isn’t coming back, Patience clings to the mystery of her mother, her world in quiet turmoil and her confidence knocked.”
The crimes seen in this series include a murder in the Railway Museum, a trail of magic that ends in a chase through a Hall of Mirrors and, of course, that mystery leading to York Minster.
Speaking about filming in York Minster, Purvis, a Londoner, adds: “It was so surreal to have it to ourselves. It’s a magnificent building, and the story that envelops the Minster really added to that sense of awe.”
There will be high hopes for the show, which is also shot in Belgium, after its success last time around. As mentioned, it was Channel 4’s biggest drama of 2025, with viewing figures averaging 4.2 million. It was also launched in the USA on PBS, proving a summer hit, and distributors Beta have sold to more than 33 territories around the world.
While Matt Baker, who grew up in Pocklington, was lead writer for the first series, this time Amy Schindler and Beth Chalmers have penned the script.
Neurodiversity is an important part of the show, as Patience’s autism allows her to look at criminal cases in a way her colleagues would not. How important is it that neurodiverse actors play neurodiverse roles?
Purvis says: "I’ll shout this from the rooftops until the day I die but authentically casting a role will only enhance a show, film, play, job, anything really! There are no downsides. And it’s not just about the actors, it’s about the writers, producers, costume assistants, gaffers, everyone really. Making a TV show, and not just the final product, is a statement in itself, so making sure underrepresented voices are being heard in all areas is key.”
Patience returns Channel 4 from 9pm tonight.