Second series commission follows first run’s success among young viewers

The BBC has commissioned a second outing for family drama Crookhaven.

The show, which is produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family, is set in a school for crooks and revolves around the complicated friendship between pickpocketing genius Gabriel and Penelope, daughter of the school’s headmaster Caspian Lockett.

Now entering their Miscreant (second) year at Crookhaven, the Crooklings face a term of dangerous secrets, shifting alliances and shocking betrayals. The second series is set to air next year, with filming set to begin this summer in Northern Ireland.

Crookhaven is based on JJ Arcanjo’s global bestselling series of the same name and was created for TV by Justin Young (Death in Paradise), with production support by Northern Ireland Screen.

The eight-part first series aired in March across BBC1, CBBC and iPlayer, and has become the best performing CBBC show on iPlayer in 2026 and the highest performing drama on iPlayer for 7-12s. It achieved a 28-day consolidated average of 653,000, with 43% of under 16s watching alongside an adult, according to data supplied by the BBC. Crookhaven has also accumulated a total of 14.6m video views across social media to date.

Crookhaven was recommissioned by Sarah Muller, senior head of BBC Children’s commissioning 7+, with Amy Buscombe as commissioning editor. Mark Freeland is executive producer, with Tali Waters as creative director and Leon McGeown-Fee producing. Aislinn Clarke and Magnus Stone share directing duties. BBC Studios handles global sales.

Muller said: “Crookhaven struck a real chord with audiences through its originality, ambition and brilliantly twisty storytelling. 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.”

Cecilia Persson, managing director of BBC Studios Kids & Family, added: “Crookhaven combines ambitious storytelling with world-class execution, capturing the imagination of audiences around the globe.”