Asha Banks: Being able to do it all again was everything we were dreaming of in season one, and we were lucky enough to get the chance. Everybody was so excited to get back and delve into something darker and grittier, especially with the knowledge that there was an audience waiting for it.

Jude Morgan-Collie: It’s a horrible, horrible wait knowing that it’s done and just sitting on it. You want people to see it.

Yali Topol Margalith: We’ve got so much trust in Holly’s script, and Emma [Myers, who plays Pip] is such a fierce leader. They’ve been so hungry for it. Not only is the current audience really going to enjoy this, but we’re also bringing on new people that maybe two years ago were too young to watch it. We can gain a whole new fanbase.

Henry Ashton: I am really excited for the fans to see the stuff that’s happening in the background of the book being brought forward, such as the Hastings trial and the relationship between Max and his family. They haven’t changed anything from the book, they have just added an extra layer and I think it really adds to the overall intensity of the series. [There’s more] anxiety to an already anxious storyline.

Morgan-Collie: Season two, as an adaptation, is a lot more true to Holly’s writing. She was a lot more hands-on with this season. It’s always slightly terrifying when she is on set because it’s her baby and you don’t want to mess it up.

Freddie England: I’m excited for people to meet my character, as a new face coming into season two. There’s definitely a few lines in there that fans of the books are going to lo

Ashton: I do enjoy playing the bad guy – it’s weird saying you enjoy it, but it’s cathartic to lean into a behaviour that you would never even consider. I’m not talking about the stuff Max did, I’m talking the way he is and how he’s manipulative and scheming. It’s strangely fun to lean into that darker side. Playing someone who is so different to how you navigate life is quite challenging and being challenged is fun.

You get to see a different side to him this season; in season one, he’s hidden and he does a great job at staying hidden, while in season two he’s getting revealed slowly and what comes from that is even darker.

England: Coming into a show as a character related to someone who is pretty evil, the easy thing to do would be evil as well. For me, it felt more relevant to be, not necessarily myself, but bring a bit of myself to the role. Robin was pitched as the bridge between Pip’s crew and the Hastings family, but he’s a bit more than that; he’s 17 and figuring out what to do with himself and having the role model of Max is quite difficult.

It’s been one of the coolest experiences; these guys are all some of my closest friends now which is really nice. The first person I met was Jude at the read-through and I knew straight away I was going to be alright.

Morgan-Collie: I don’t think he’s underestimated; I think he’s fairly estimated. Pip is picking up the slack and there’s a bit of ‘I don’t really want your help’ as Connor tends to get in the way. He doesn’t take time to think – it’s very black and white with him. But he’s also got an openness and vulnerability.

It was so nice to come back and meet new people. I got a brother, Jamie, and a mum this season, and it’s really fun playing around with that dynamic. Eden and I live together now; we met on the show and now he’s in the other room.

Topol Margalith: The show is about how we judge people based on their actions and makes us question every character. Does someone’s bad actions make them a bad person? Does someone’s good actions make them a good person? I think Lauren is a really good example of that; she was a sweetheart in season one, always there to support her friends and desperately wants to fit in. Then comes back with fierce hair and fierce outfits, and decides she wants to be the main character. That resolves in some actions that I think can be judged and that’s okay; it makes you question whether she is the same sweetheart inside.

I hope she could be understood by some people and others may feel seen by her, and maybe some could see friends they’ve judged in her in a new light. Sometimes when you’re 17 and there’s a cute boy looking at you, you do stupid things.

Banks: Cara and Pip have been best friends since they were small. Growing up with somebody means you know them so well, and Cara and Pip are so set in their friendship dynamic. The first season completely unravels that and they are faced with things that many people wouldn’t ever have to deal with. It puts everything upside down for Cara and she’s forced to think about herself. She’s tried so hard to not let anybody in, not be the victim, and not let what happened with her dad affect her. It’s a testament to their friendship that they can overcome what’s happened to them.

I think a lot of this season is Pip knowing that some of the things she’s doing are questionable and she’s riddled with guilt. I think for a lot of their friendship, Pip is put first. Pip’s ambitions and needs come at the detriment to some of her relationships and this season really unfolds that.

Eden Hambleton-Davies: The two of them, despite being from the same town, have very different life experiences, but they share this huge event that really drives them together. Off the back of the first season, Pip is quite a damaged person and Jamie is the same. There’s a really beautiful understanding of that between the two of them. Perhaps it isn’t visible to some of the other characters because it gets pushed under the rug, because it’s Pip and she’s fine and always has been fine, but they see each other in a way that most people don’t. That results in some really impactful scenes.

Zain Iqbal: At the start of season two, and after everything he’s been through, Ravi comes out of his shell with his new friends and he’s more confident while holding the darkness. He uses the darkness as a strength and to help Pip and push her forward.