What happened in series 1 of Guilt?

THE BBC Scottish drama Guilt is back with season two.

While we prepare to see what happens next, let’s take a look at what happened in the previous season...

What happened in series 1 of Guilt? 

Series one of Guilt kicked off with the high-powered attorney Max (played by Mark Bonnar) and his younger brother Jake (played by Jamie Sives) driving home from a wedding reception. 

Neither of them are in the correct state to be behind the wheel.

Suddenly a pedestrian appears in the middle of the street and is struck dead by Max’s car, driven by Jake.

Immediately, Jake wants to call the police, however, Max insists that if they call the police it will result in them going to jail and ruin their careers.

The two brothers end up dragging the body of the victim to his home which they located through the address on his ID.

When they reach the victims house they ring the doorbell but no one answers. 

Pushing on the door handle, it appeared to be open, so they ventured inside.

They place the victim on the sofa in hopes that he will be found and thought to have died naturally.

Luckily, the victim was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and so his death wasn't considered to be anything suspicious. 

Jake is then forced to attend the wake because he left his wallet at Walter’s house the night of the accident.

He begins creating a bond with the victim's granddaughter Angie (played by Ruth Bradley).

Angie finds it suspicious that his grandad has bruises on his legs, but Jake tells her to consult Max as he's a lawyer and can help ease her mind.

Max’s wife Claire (played by Sian Brooke) begins to find it suspicious that he’s spending so much time with his brother, which not long before he didnt care about.

The relationship between Jake and Angie begins to blossom, and they are spending a lot of time together.

Meanwhile, Max and his wife Claire's relationship is at a halt as she finds his sudden behaviour change suspicious. 

The brothers' luck takes a turn for the worst when investigator Kenny (played by Emun Elliott) suddenly theorises that maybe there is more to the case than meets the eye.

Max also bumped into the victim's neighbour, who saw the whole incident and demands £20,000 or else she’ll report him.

Kenny approaches Max with proof of his crime, and requests that he gives him a job or he’ll give Max to the police.

Kenny also tries to convince Jake to throw Max under the bus for the whole thing, but he refuses.

However, soon after, Max blackmails inspector Sheila (played by Ellie Haddington) into corroborating a story in which Jake killed Walter and Max had nothing to do with the elderly man's death - Max unfortunately overhears this, which is the turning point in his decision and so he decides to go along with Kenny's plan.

The first series ends with the authorities coming to arrest Max, who is driven away in a police car.

When was series 1 filmed? 

Series one of Guilt was filmed in late 2018 and released in November 2019.

Series two was confirmed in July 2019, with filming set to begin November 2019.

Due to the Covid pandemic filming was put on hold due to government restrictions. 

Does series 2 follow on from series 1?

Yes, series two will follow the previous series of Guilt.

It begins with Max being released from prison after a two year stint behind bars, and attempts to put his life back together.

Unable to return to his old job, and with brother Jake now living in Chicago, Max realises he's going to have to work his way back up — which means working for his old accomplice, private detective and recovering alcoholic Kenny Burns.

Director and actor Mark Bonnar reveals: "In the first series he had it all, in this series he has absolutely nothing." 

 "In a sense, we see him at his most vulnerable and naked — he's back to surviving on his wits in a different way. At the outset, I think he's solely using Kenny to get ahead — he's got to start at the very, very bottom and Kenny's the very, very bottom, so Max puts up with him! But I think as time goes by, Max starts to respect Kenny and even kind of admire him in a way. It's a lovely journey that they go on."

Elsewhere, new arrival Erin faces a life-changing moment when an intruder breaks into her home.

A split-second decision leaves her having to face a side of her history she was hoping to leave behind — and eventually brings her into Max's circle.

Season 2 kicks off on BBC two tonight (October 14, 2021) at 9pm on BBC two.