Broadchurch will be back! ITV says show return for a second series - but keeps details secret

It is not known which characters will return for the second series

The successful ITV drama Broadchurch starring David Tenant and Olivia Coleman came to an end tonight

A second series of Broadchurch will return to ITV, it has been confirmed.

The new series will be filmed next year and is expected to air at the end of 2014 or at the beginning of 2015.

In-keeping with the series’ closely guarded plotline, writer Chris Chibnall has refused to divulge any further details about the new series other than hinting it will be "a very different story".

ITV cannot confirm which characters will feature in the second series. It is unknown whether Olivia Colman and David Tennant will return, especially given that their characters Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy say they will leave Broadchurch in the series one finale.

It is also unknown where the second series will be set, although as the show will keep its title Broadchurch it may be that the drama will remain in the Dorset seaside town.

Writer Chris Chibnall said: “The whole Broadchurch team has been delighted and properly gobsmacked by the response from ITV viewers…I mentioned that if people liked it, there was another very different story we could tell afterwards. I’m really thrilled we’re going to tell that story too.”

ITV director of television Peter Fincham gave a slight indication that viewers can expect to see Colman and Tennant return for the second series. “We’re delighted to be commissioning a second series of Broadchurch. From the moment the murder scene was discovered, viewers became gripped by the series, and we’ve been genuinely thrilled by the audience response.

“David and Olivia’s performances and Chris’s cleverly crafted scripts have created a truly compelling drama,” he said.