The Cleaner season 2 is coming to BBC One with a plethora of larger than life guest stars — and even bigger crime scenes to scrub!
Following a hugely successful The Cleaner season 1 in 2001 and the Christmas special, A Clean Christmas, in 2022, filming has started for a new season of the popular comedy starring Greg Davies as crime scene cleaner, Wicky.
Here's everything we know so far about The Cleaner season 2...
The Cleaner season 2 release date
The Cleaner season 2 will return with six brand-new episodes from Friday, March 24 at 9.30pm on BBC One. All episodes will also be available as a box set to stream via BBC iPlayer.
The Cleaner season 2 plot
The Cleaner is co-written by TV's 'Taskmaster' Greg Davies, who reprises his role as crime scene cleaner Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead, as he embarks on more of his eventful spruce-up jobs.
The new six-part series — co-written by Davies — sees Wicky armed with his usual chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags to remove grisly human remains from everywhere from an electrical goods store to a stately home. And, as he crosses paths with an array of weird and wonderful characters, Wicky provides solutions for more than just stubborn stains…
What happens in Episode 1: The Transaction?
In the opening episode, Wicky faces the ultimate test of self control: a cleaning job in a pub, after he’s promised his new girlfriend Jules he’ll lay off the booze. He’s got a new look, too!
"Wicky’s going through a midlife crisis, and has adapted his look to suit his new, younger girlfriend, so he's wearing new glasses and an earring," says Greg, 54. "Wicky's challenged an awful lot this series and new things are thrown at him but he soon reverts back to ‘type’ and it’s safe to say the earring and glasses don’t last long!"
Wicky’s at the pub to clean up the devastation left by a lethal barroom brawl and meets no-nonsense landlady Lisa (Killing Eve’s Dame Harriet Walter) and her muscle-bound barman, Cuddle (Willow’s Charles Rawes). As a web of romantic and criminal intrigue unravels, Wicky realises there’s more to this job than cleaning up blood - and the odd severed human ear!
"This episode explores the ‘transactional’ nature of love," explains Greg. "Lisa’s had a very difficult experience in that she's lost a much younger lover, so she has a very cynical attitude to love and relationships. Wicky’s job is to get under the skin of the characters he meets and provoke them to reveal different sides of themselves. Lisa presents as this really hard-nosed woman but we slowly peel back the layers to find out the truth."
The Cleaner season 2 cast
The first series of The Cleaner featured some top guest talent including Nolly's Helena Bonham Carter and Would I Lie to You's David Mitchell, and the stellar guest cast for this second series also doesn't disappoint.
Alongside Harriet Walter (This Is Going to Hurt), other stars include Zoë Wanamaker (Britannia), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral), John MacMillan (House of the Dragon), Alex Lawther (The End of the F...ing World), Susannah Fielding (This Time With Alan Partridge), Roisin Conaty (After Life) and 80s pop sensation Shakin' Stevens!
"One episode is about a Shaman and, in the story, a dead person being contacted during a Shamanic ritual is a big Shakin' Stevens fan,’ reveals Greg. ‘The plan was to have an appearance from a Shakin' Stevens tribute act but then the producers thought it’d be funny to have the real Shakin' Stevens playing the tribute act - and incredibly he agreed. I can also confirm he insists on being called Shakin’!"
Has the role made Greg more domesticated?
While he’s happy to get stuck into cleaning for the role, Davies admits that’s where his dedication ends…
"I’m squeamish, so I’d be utterly useless at dealing with gore and human remains," he says. "I recently had a moment of thinking I’d finally become a grown up because my home is always tidy with everything in its place - but then I remembered it’s because I now have a cleaner!"
Is there a teaser trailer?
You bet! Here's a taster of Series 2 to whet your appetite...
