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A Discovery of Witches Season 2: Everything We Know So Far

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Filming of season 2 for A Discovery of Witches is underway in Wales. The sexy vampire-witch fantasy/time travel /historical love story started shooting modern-day scenes in June in multiple locations, and now Bad Wolf Production is delving into full-on Elizabethan England adventure.

We’re seeing lots of pictures and getting lots of little tidbits from the cast and author/executive producer Deborah Harkness. Let’s delve into what we know about season 2 thus far.

First things first…


Season 1 of A Discovery of Witches will be available on BluRay and DVD in the U.S. October 29. It’s still streaming on Amazon Prime via Sundance Now and Shudder. You can also stream the full season on AMC Premiere.

When did production start on season 2?

Production started on June 11 for a six-month shoot.

What are the shooting locations?

So far we know, from social media, of filming happening in Venice, Italy, in Oxford, England and in Cardiff, Wales. In a May Facebook Live, Harkness said there were plans to go to Prague as well, which is also a setting in the book, but she didn’t know what that would look like. So we’ll see.

What’s the story in season 2?

Teresa Palmer behind the scenes on Discovery of Witches

Photo by Deborah Harkness. Posted on Teresa Palmer’s Instagram account.

Harkness told us that season 2 will encompass the entirety of her second book in the All Souls trilogy, Shadow of Night.

Diana and Matthew make it to 1592 England, where Matthew figures he can get his friends, the infamous School of Night, to help him find the intact Book of Life and connect Diana with a witch to help her harness her magic ability, and then be back in a few weeks. As you can imagine, things don’t go according to plan, not least of which because the Matthew of the Elizabethan period has his fingers in a lot of pies, and his past and future will lead to conflict with Diana, with his friends, with his family – and with the world around them.

Meanwhile, in the present, Diana’s and Matthew’s families and friends are trying to hold down the fort amid increasing pressure from the Congregation.

Want to know the whole story now? The book Shadow of Night is available online and in stores.

Who is in the cast this season?


So far we’ve seen pics with most of the cast of season 1, including Teresa Palmer, Matthew Goode (a little), Alex Kingston, Valarie Pettiford, Sophia Myles, Edward Bleumel, Owen Teale, Trevor Eve, and Greg Chillin either on set or behind the scenes. That’s not to say that other actors are not in the second season only that, according to media reports and social media from the actors, we’ve seen these actors.

We’ve also seen pics of Ayisha Hart and Lindsay Duncan with other cast members at shooting locations. It’s a fair assumption that Hart and Duncan (especially Duncan, since we know they shot scenes inside Sept Tours) will likely be back.

But season 2 will bring us a lot of new characters, too. So far we have two casting announcements from Sky TV.

Adelle Leonce was the first new castmember announced. She’ll play Phoebe Taylor, a pragmatic auction house employee who crosses paths with Marcus Whitmore in a way that changes her life forever. Leonce has had roles on England’s Shameless and in the Netflix series Black Mirror.

The second new castmember is a major one — actor Tom Hughes will be playwright Christopher Marlowe. The Marlowe of the All Souls trilogy is a daemon who is deeply suspicious of Diana and her relationship with Matthew, who he cares deeply for.

Hughes has made a name for himself in Britain with roles in The Hollow Crown, Dancing on the Edge (with Matthew Goode), in the film About Time, and in other roles. In the United States though he may be best known for playing Prince Albert opposite Jenna Coleman in the series Victoria, which airs on PBS as part of Masterpiece. He is expected to be back in season four of that show.

More cast announcements are expected from Sky One and Bad Wolf Productions.

What can we expect from the Elizabethan England scenes?


This season Harkness is not just an executive producer for the show, she’s also a historical consultant. In Facebook Lives she did before production began, Harkness promised an Elizabethan England that was as true to life as you can imagine, with incredible attention to detail.

When will we finally get to see season 2?

There’s no set date, but not before 2020 is what we’ve heard from Harkness and other production people.

What to keep up on production? Follow Deborah Harkness on Twitter, Teresa Palmer on Twitter and Instagram, and stay with us too! See our previous coverage HERE.

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO AMAZON. COMMISSIONS EARNED VIA AFFILIATE LINKS ARE USED TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON HERE AT NGTV.
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Christie Zizo is never far from a computer or her phone anyway, so she decided to put that addiction to use and became a journalist. Usually while she bangs away at a keyboard, she's got Turner Classic Movies, a British sitcom, or something Scifi/Fantasy on TV (Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, American Gods, and many, many others). Her new obsession is "A Discovery of Witches," and all the history and science that goes into this fantasy series.