‘Crookhaven’ Will Return for a Second Semester
Breakout CBBC series 'Crookhaven' lands a second season; now it just needs an American distributor.
American viewers — even the most hardcore Anglophiles — are probably not terribly familiar with most of the series that air on the CBBC (Children’s BBC). Outside of a handful of notable exceptions — Bluey, the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures – we never even hear about most of them. (Justice for The Lady Grace Mysteries!) However, maybe Crookhaven will help change that. The buzzy family drama, based on the popular JJ Arcanjo YA series, premiered in March 2026 and became the year’s highest-performing CBBC show on iPlayer, and wound up airing on the regular BBC as well. It’s just been renewed for a second season, which promises to take us back for another year at the titular boarding school for aspiring crooks and pickpockets.
As the so-called “Crooklings” enter their Miscreant (a.k.a second) year, Season 2 will continue to explore the complicated friendship between pickpocket Gabriel (Lucas Leach) and Penelope (Carmel Laniado), the daughter of Crookhaven School headmaster Caspian Lockett (Dougray Scott), as new secrets and shifting alliances abound.
“Crookhaven struck a real chord with audiences through its originality, ambition and brilliantly twisty storytelling,” Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Commissioning 7+ for BBC Children’s and Education, said. “Original stories and characters sit at the heart of everything we do, and this series delivers that in abundance, with a world that feels distinctive, inclusive and full of intrigue. Bringing it back for a second series allows us to go even deeper into this rich, morally complex story and raise the stakes for the students of Crookhaven as they return for another unpredictable year.”
Here’s the (very basic) Season 2 description.
Based on the globally bestselling books by JJ Arcanjo, the first series which is made by BBC Studios Kids & Family and premiered in March 2026, turned the high school genre on its head with a bold, twist-packed mystery exploring identity, loyalty and the power of found family. Now, the Crooklings are back and entering their Miscreant (second) year and stepping into a fresh term full of dangerous secrets, shifting alliances and shocking betrayal.
(Photos: BBC)
“I’m delighted to be returning to Crookhaven and stepping back into the role of the Caspian Lockett,” Scott said. “I’m looking forward to working with the talented cast and creative team once again, and to bringing audiences another exciting chapter of this wonderful, mysterious world.”
The series is created and adapted for television by Justin Young (Death in Paradise) and directed by Jamie Magnus Stone and Aislinn Clarke. The Creative Director is Tali Walters, with Mark Freeland as executive producer and Leon McGeown-Fee as producer. Crookhaven is produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family for the BBC, with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
Filming for Season 2 begins this summer in Northern Ireland ahead of a scheduled launch in 2027. Crookhaven does not yet have an American distributor.
Sign up for full access to Telly Visions' recaps and reviews!
