‘An t-Eilean’ (‘The Island’) Officially Filming Season 2
Season 2 of the big-budget Gaelic drama 'An t-Eilean' ('The Island') announces that filming has begun, right as Season 1 arrives on Acorn TV.
In what is either a deliberate act of timing or a fortunate coincidence, the BBC has announced filming has started on the second series of Gaelic drama An t-Eilean (The Island) right as Season 1 arrives on Acorn TV.
The series, which is the BBC’s first big-budget series filmed in Scottish Gaelic, made headlines when it was announced in early 2025. The Cymraeg 2050 initiative has pushed the BBC to greenlight an entire slate of Welsh-language (and dual-language) series, but none have been given a lavish Prestige TV-level budget. Moreover, unlike Welsh, which has merely been suppressed by the British Crown since the 1500s, Gaelic (especially Irish Gaelic) has been the language of rebellion, associated with The Troubles and the IRA. Creating a big-budget Gaelic series, even if it’s Scottish, not Irish (they are different!), is a statement of inclusion that would have been utterly unimaginable just 25 years ago.
Acorn TV is sadly dumping all episodes at once in the U.S., either because producers believe the language or the culture won’t appeal to viewers. The only thing Americans can do is tune in whenever they can to check the series out, and show the bosses at AMC Global that they made a mistake by not treating the show properly with a weekly rollout. Season 2 turns over most of the cast and brings a brand new mystery for our heroine, Kat Crichton, to solve; hopefully, by the time the new season rolls around in 2027, Acorn TV will have seen the error of its ways.
Here’s the Season 2 synopsis:
Kat Crichton, now a sergeant, is frustrated both at work and at home, caring for her ill father and dealing with petty local crime. However, when the body of a young woman washes up underneath a local bridge, Kat is thrust into the hunt for a killer stalking the islands. As the investigation deepens, it uncovers the hidden lives and devastating secrets of the community’s young people, forcing Kat to confront both the case and her own complicated ties to the place she calls home.
When Ruaraidh Maclean, now running the local youth group, shares his suspicion that there are other missing young islanders, he finds himself drawn back into Kat’s world as the case tightens around those closest to home. What follows is a terrifying and twisted game that leads them into a chilling and dangerous hunt for a serial killer.
Sorcha Groundsell (Shetland) reprises her role as Kat Crichton alongside Sam James Smith (Glan Fhèin), who returns as Ruaraidh Maclean. The rest of the cast will be all new faces, including Aidan O’Callaghan (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Debbie Mackay (Outlander: Blood of My Blood), Yolanda Mitchell (Mayflies), Roxie Mohebbi (My Life is Murder), Jamie Quinn (Taggart), Scottish musicians Àdhamh Ó Broin and Owen Sutcliffe, plus small-screen newcomers Ava Mackinnon and Tanith Munro.
Series creator Nicholas Osborne returns to co-write Season 2 with Mairead Hamilton (Bannan); Hamilton also splits helming duties with Season 1 director Tom Sullivan (Arracht). Executive producers include Arabella Page Croft and Nicole Fitzpatrick, as well as Kieran Parker and Bjorn Hanson for Black Camel Pictures.
All episodes of An t-Eilean (The Island) Season 1 are streaming on Acorn TV starting Monday, May 11, 2026. Season 2 is currently filming on location in the Western Isles and is expected to debut in late 2026/early 2027.
The Island (An t-Eilean)
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