A Discovery of Witches drops first season 2 photo, with Matthew Goode in a doublet

The past is about to get witchy.

A Discovery of Witches released the first official photo from its upcoming second season Thursday, featuring witch Diana (Teresa Palmer) and vampire Matthew De Clermont (Matthew Goode) in full Elizabethan garb.

Keen fans of Deborah Harkness’ source novels will recognize the setting as Blackfriars, where Matthew and Diana make their home when they travel back to Elizabethan London to escape the Congregation and unlock the secrets of Ashmole 782, also known as the Book of Life. The photograph showcases Diana in traditional Elizabethan dress, including a full skirt with a farthingale underneath and a high starched collar, a more casual version of a ruff. Matthew walks beside her holding her hand, wearing a leather doublet and matching breeches.

“We’ve finally arrived at Elizabethan London… Who’s excited for season 2?” the show’s Twitter account asked alongside the release of the image.

The first look also comes with some long-awaited casting news, including the actors who will bring to life the fan favorite Gallowglass, Matthew’s Norse-Gaelic vampire nephew, and Phillipe De Clermont, Matthew’s stepfather. Steven Cree, who portrays Jamie Fraser’s beloved brother-in-law Ian Murray on Outlander, will portray Gallowglass, a hunky vampire and soldier of fortune who holds a soft spot for his uncle. British actor James Purefoy, best known for his work on Rome, will play Phillipe, founder of the Congregation, commander of the Knights of Lazarus, and mate of Ysabeau.

“To have such high caliber talent joining an already exceptional ensemble is a testament to Deborah Harkness’ brilliant novels, Pete McTighe and Susie Conklin’s scripts, and to the immensely talented cast and crew working to bring all to life,” executive producer Jane Tranter said in a statement. “The bar was set high with season 1, but season 2 is already shaping up to take fans into a new realm as we follow Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan England. With cast like this they will not be disappointed.”

Much of the rest of the season 2 cast was announced as well, including Paul Rhys (Victoria) as the frightening vampire Andrew Hubbard, Sheila Hancock (Doctor Who) as the witch Goody Alsop, Barbara Marten (Casualty) as Queen Elizabeth, Jacob Ifan (Cuffs) as Benjamin Fuchs, Holly Aird (Waking the Dead) as Francoise, Michael Lindall (Deep State) as Sir Walter Raleigh, Adam Sklar (Faceless) as Henry Percy, Joshua Pickering as Jack Blackfriars, Elaine Cassidy (Harper’s Island) as Louise De Clermont, Victoria Yeates (Call the Midwife) as Elizabeth Jackson, Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl) as William Cecil, Lois Chimimba (Doctor Who) as Catherine Streeter, Amy McAllister (Philomena) as Marjorie Cooper, and Milo Twomey (Mother, Father, Son) as Pierre.

Season 2 will also see the return of much of the season 1 cast. As Matthew and Diana face new dangers and mysteries hidden in time, the story in the present day will also continue as Diana’s aunts, Sarah (Alex Kingston) and Em (Valarie Pettiford), take shelter with Matthew’s mother, Ysabeau De Clermont (Lindsay Duncan), at her home in France, Sept-Tours. In Oxford, Matthew’s trusted allies Marcus (Edward Bluemel) and Miriam (Aiysha Hart) will strive to protect daemons Nathaniel (Daniel Ezra) and Sophie (Aisling Loftus). The Congregation, including Gerbert (Trevor Eve), Peter Knox (Owen Teale), Satu (Malin Buska), and Domenico (Gregg Chillin), will also enlist their considerable powers to hunt down Diana and Matthew and the secrets they’re keeping.

Season 2 will be based on Harkness’s second novel in her All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night. No premiere date, either in the U.K. or Stateside, has been announced.

Related content:

• Matthew Goode on what he loves about his A Discovery of Witches character

• Teresa Palmer explains why she was ‘desperate’ to play Diana Bishop in A Discovery of Witches

• Why A Discovery of Witches is a series with ‘extra magic dust’