World on Fire season 2 cast: who's who in the period drama

World on Fire season 2 picks up after the gripping events of the first installment, and fans have been waiting patiently to find out what happens next.

The first season ended on quite a cliffhanger, with Harry and Kasia narrowly escaping a Nazi ambush in Poland and being chased by soldiers, so season 2 will pick up where we left off as we continue to explore World War Two through the eyes of ordinary people.

Once again there's a great cast attached to the project with plenty of big names reprising their roles and exploring what happened to characters after we last saw them.

So who's in the cast? Here's everything you need to know about the major players in World on Fire season 2...

Lesley Manville as Robina Chase

Robina Chase raised her son Harry alone after his father died tragically. But despite her best efforts, Harry has been troublesome for her. He found himself on the wrong side of the law protesting against Oswald Mosley and has disappointed his mother on multiple occasions.

Lesley Manville has starred in a wide range of TV shows and movies including Magpie Murders, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and Phantom Thread.

Jonah Hauer-King as Harry Chase

Harry is a talented translator who worked in Warsaw for the British embassy. But season one saw him caught in an explosive love triangle between Lois Bennett, and Kasia Tomaszeski. This was difficult enough without a war brewing in the background! In the end, he chose Kasia and the two married, so we should be seeing some more about that.

Jonah Hauer-King has starred in the Paramount Plus series The Flatshare, the live-action movie The Little Mermaid, and A Dog's Way Home.

Mark Bonnar as Sir James Danemere

Sir James Danemere is a new character for season 2. Speaking about his character to the BBC, he teased: "The mysterious Sir James is an MI5 operative and very charming with it. He’s used to manipulating people in a kind way to get what he wants — but he's not a bad person by any stretch of the imagination."

Mark Bonnar has many acting credits but he is best known for his roles in TV shows Guilt, Shetland, Line of Duty, and The Rig.

Julia Brown as Lois Bennett

There's a lot going on for Lois in season 2. At the end of the first season, she'd just given birth and had accepted a proposal from Vernon (Arthur Darvill), but he was killed in the Battle of Britain. She's still worried about Harry and the knowledge that he'll be returning to England with Kasia.

Julia Brown is known for roles in TV shows such as Shetland, Anthony, The Last Kingdom, and M.I. High.

Zofia Wichlacz as Kasia Tomaszeski

Kasia is now living in England with Harry. They’re living at Harry’s family home, which means also living with Robina. Kasia finds it hard to settle in, but Harry is desperate to make his wife feel safe so that she will become more like herself again.

Zofia Wichlacz is known for roles in movies like Warsaw 44 and Afterimage, and TV shows such as Medics and The Romanoffs.

Blake Harrison as Stan Raddings

In season one, we saw Sargeant Stan Raddings being rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, and now we're seeing him in North Africa trying to survive a sandstorm where he encounters Rajib.

Blake Harrison is best known for his role as Neil in the Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners. He also recently starred in Kate & Koji and Prime Suspect 1973.

Ahad Raza Mir as Rajib

Rajib is another new character for season 2 of World on Fire. He is an Indian officer in the British Army. He is described as "fearless and determined" but "a fairly complicated character who does everything by the book".

Ahad Raza Mir made his English-language debut in the Netflix series Resident Evil. Prior to that, he starred in Pakistani drama series such as Sammi, Yaqeen Ka Safar, and Aangan.

Who else is in World on Fire season 2?

• Miriam Schiweck as Marga

• Cel Spellman as Joe Broughton

• Yrsa Daley-Ward as Connie Knight

• Eryk Biedunkiewicz as Jan Tomaszeski

• Ewan Mitchell as Tom Bennett

World On Fire season 2 will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, July 16  at 9 pm. In the UK you can also watch the series on BBCiPlayer.

World On Fire will be released in the US on October 15 2023 on PBS Masterpiece. Also, in the US, the first season is available to stream on Disney+.