Whitstable Pearl Season 2 has arrived on Acorn TV and it's hardly a surprise given the popularity of the first season. The Kent-set crime show, based on the much-loved novels The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries by Julie Wassmer, was a stunning success across the world and left fans clamouring for more. We're also delighted that the three main cast members — Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles and Frances Barber — are also all returning.
If, like us, you’ve binge-watched the six-episode boxset of The Whitstable Pearl Season 1 on Acorn TV and now need your next fill of Kerry Godliman’s amateur sleuth Pearl and co, you can now enjoy another series of investigations.
Julie Wassmer says: “Knowing how well Whitstable Pearl has been received across so many territories, I’m sure viewers will be as excited as I am to know the series is returning for a new season in which Pearl will be immersed in more crime, family drama and a compelling will-they-won’t-they love affair – all set against the stunning backdrop of Whitstable’s mysterious coast - with a to-die-for cast who bring so much to every character. ”
Here's everything we can reveal about Whitstable Pearl Season 2...
Whitstable Pearl season 2 release date
Whitstable Pearl season 2 first aired on Monday, November 28, 2022 on Acorn TV in North America, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
You can watch both seasons of Whitstable Pearl on Acorn TV in the UK and the US. To sign up for Acorn, visit www.acorn.tv or download the Acorn TV app on your favourite device to start your 30 day free trial. You can also get Whitstable Pearl through Acorn TV on Amazon Prime (for an extra charge).
Whitstable Pearl seasons 1 and 2 are also available for UK viewers on free-to-air streaming service U.
Is there a Whitstable Pearl Season 2 trailer?
Yes! Acorn TV has released a trailer for Whitstable Pearl Season 2 so do take a look below, and also catch up with Season 1's trailer below that...
Whitstable Pearl season 2 — where the first series left us
Whitstable Pearl season 1 follows Pearl Nolan, who runs a successful seafood restaurant in her hometown of Whitstable in Kent but deep down hankers to be a detective. However, when she comes across the dead body of her friend Vinnie, she sets herself up as a PI and teams up with out-of-town detective DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) to solve Vinnie’s death and other murders in the picturesque seaside town.
The show was adapted from the best-selling novels The Whitstable Pearl Mystery and Disappearance at Oare by Julie Wassmer and there are plenty more Whitstable Pearl novels in the series just crying out to be adapted for television, so it looks like it might be good news for fans...
If you haven’t finished the series yet then be warned because there are some major spoilers on this page. Here we look at where the first series left off and what we know so far about a possible Whitstable Pearl season 2….
In the last episode of Whitstable Pearl season 1 we saw Pearl investigating the death of her father Flash. Her mother Dolly (played by Frances Barber) was resolutely tight-lipped about his life and death and it emerged that Flash was not the hero Pearl always thought he was.
Along with Mike, Pearl discovers that Flash wasn’t murdered and instead committed suicide. However, Mike’s inability to switch off from work left Pearl feeling used and she called time on their fledgling, if somewhat tumultuous, relationship. Viewers were left dismayed that their union ended before it really began, so here’s hoping Whitstable Pearl season 2 season will see them reunite.
Whitstable Pearl season 2 plot and episode guide
Here's our full episode guide to Whitstable Pearl season 2...
Episode 1
It’s six months on, and Pearl (Kerry Godliman) and Mike (Howard Charles) are just good friends. Mike has found a new vigour for life and his pursuit of open-air swimming has led him into the arms of a new woman, Kat, a sunny, outgoing, eternal optimist. Pearl also has a new person in her life, Tom, a supply teacher, who’s the definition of a ‘nice guy.' Pearl is hired by local ex-soldier Dan Tomlin whose son has disappeared under questionable circumstances.
Episode 2
Laid up with a broken ankle, Mike observes a suspicious neighbour who has night terrors. Mike thinks there’s foul play afoot and calls in Pearl to help him investigate. When a body turns up, it’s not who either of them were expecting.
Episode 3
Pearl is hired by Molly, who is hated amongst Whitstable locals as she’s planning to sell a beloved local pub once owned by her mother, to the highest bidder, rather than selling it back to the community. Molly has been receiving threatening anonymous notes - a dead seagull has even turned up on her doorstop. Molly’s had enough and she wants Pearl to find out who’s behind the notes and put a stop to it. The pub goes on the open market and is sold to a former Londoner, who washes up dead on Whitstable beach the next day. Pearl and Mike work together to find out who was responsible.
Episode 4
Pearl is hired by Natalia, a housekeeper who believes her boss is in danger. Her employer, a 1970s movie icon, Zelda St John (played by Stephanie Beacham), has changed her will, leaving the majority of her fortune to Natalia., so shefears that Zelda’s family might hurt her. Not long after, Zelda is found at home unconscious, attacked with a croquet mallet. Natalia disappears and is presumed guilty. Pearl trusts Natalia and believes she has been framed by the family. As they wait for Zelda to regain consciousness, Mike and Pearl lead separate investigations, clashing over who they believe is responsible.
Episode 5
Dolly notices unexplained things happening in her house: the shower being left on when she hasn’t used it, money going missing and then reappearing, the radio tuned to the wrong station. She hires her daughter, Pearl to investigate. Pearl fears her mother is showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease but hooks up security cameras to placate her mum. When she reviews the footage from the house a week later, she and her mum find an answer to the problems, which neither of them could have possibly anticipated.
Episode 6
Pearl caters for the wedding of Adnan and Laila in the bright lights of a nearby theme park. As the guests mingle, Pearl notices charged conversations and tensions swirling among the groom and his guests. After the ceremony, Pearl and Ruby sneak off for some fun in the hall of mirrors, where Pearl discovers Laila stabbed to death. The groom and his mother are arrested when suspicious texts are found on his phone. Pearl believes he is innocent so follows her leads from the wedding, alongside Mike and Nikki, to discover who from the wedding could have possibly wanted the bride dead, and why.
Whitstable Pearl season 2 cast — Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles and Frances Barber return
In Whitstable Pearl Kerry Godliman is reprising her role as Pearl. “I’m delighted to get the chance to play Pearl for a second series," Kerry says. "She’s such a rich character to dive into and I adore her passion for Whitstable, justice and oysters…and maybe a certain DCI too. Can’t wait!”
Given how she's spoken about the show in the past it’s clear it remains close to her heart. “There is humour in Whitstable Pearl, but it isn’t overly earnest, and I love a whodunit,” Kerry said. “I’d never played a lead but I loved it.”
Pearl's cases overlap with Mike McGuire's police investigations. Their relationship is charged by a determination to outdo each other, and a fiery mutual attraction. When they compete, sparks fly and tempers flare. When they work together, they make one hell of a team. The last episode saw Mike walk drive away from Pearl after she told him she needed space. But despite their on-off relationship which had us all hooked, Mike does return, and is played once again by The Musketeers star Howard Charles.
Doctor Who star Frances Barber also returns as the frivolous but loveable Dolly. And Rohan Ned was also a fan favourite playing Pearl’s son Charlie, so he looks set to be appearing in any new series as well.
New cast in Whitstable Pearl season 2...
Robert Webb joins the cast of Whitstable Pearl season 2 as Pearl’s new love interest Tom, a supply teacher, who’s the definition of a ‘nice guy.' Emily Head is Mike’s new girlfriend Kat and Stephanie Beacham guest stars in ep 4, as 1970s movie icon Zelda St John.
Whitstable Pearl Season 2 novels
There are seven novels in the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries collection by Julie Wassmer, who was also a screenwriter on London’s Burning, Family Affairs and EastEnders. The first series only covered The Whitstable Pearl Mystery and Disappearance at Oare, so the plots of the other five novels are still up for grabs! The second of the novels, Murder-on-Sea sees a guest collapse at a Christmas charity church fundraiser, for which Pearl is providing the mulled wine. Did she put a bit too much alcohol in the festive tipple or is something more sinister afoot?
Whitstable Pearl Season 2 — what else we know
Whitstable Pearl Season 2 began filming in Kent in February 2022, using many of the same locations as Season 1.
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director, Acorn Media Enterprises, shared, “Pearl was an instant favorite for the Acorn TV audience and one of our top performers of 2021 in multiple territories. Acorn Media Enterprises is excited to bring another adaptation of Julie Wassmer’s captivating seaside mysteries to the small screen. Also, we’re delighted to have Kerry Godliman resume the lead role, ushering us through additional nuances of this now beloved character and new parts of Whitstable’s picturesque setting.”
Tony Wood and Richard Tulk-Hart, joint CEOs of Buccaneer Media said “We are thrilled to see the world of Whitstable Pearl coming back. The response to season one was more than we could have hoped for and now the audience knows the main characters, we can build on the parts of the show we know worked best. Our hope is to see Pearl solving cases for years to come.”
The producer of the series is Letitia Knight. Executive Producers are Tony Wood, Anna Burns and Richard Tulk-Hart for Buccaneer, Catherine Mackin for Acorn Media Enterprises, Øystein Karlsen and Julie Wassmer.
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