Sherwood season 2 is here – but Nottingham locals all have the same complaint

After a long two-year wait, BBC’s hit show Sherwood is back, but instead of receiving a warm welcome from fans, it’s been met with criticism.

The David Morrissey-starring drama is back for season two, following on from the first instalment which was based on the real-life crossbow murders in creator James Graham’s hometown of Annesley Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire in 2004.

Much like the first series in which the characters were fictionalised, the second run focuses on the ‘shotting’ days in Nottingham, when the city suffered a wave of shootings and organised crime that resulted in multiple innocent deaths. 

While the latest chapter is anticipated to be emotionally heavy, something else is catching fans’ attention, a new character. 

British actress Ria Zmitrowicz, known for her roles in Three Girls and The Power, arrives as the newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham and quickly earns friends and enemies thanks to her opposition to the town’s controversial proposed mining project.

Laying the foundations for what is to come in the next five episodes, the opening episode revealed the proposed coal mine may bring ‘much-needed jobs and prosperity’ but also dark and difficult ‘reminders of the legacy that has mired the community for so long’.

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However it’s something else entirely that is earning the attention of fans, or rather losing their attention. Taking to X after the episode aired, many were quick to share their confusion over the characters’ accents.

Boyle123G wrote: ‘Oh dear, the Nottingham accent is being done to death (and I am a Nottingham native) #Sherwood’

Agreeing with the user, raggyrag72 added: ‘Too much use of “Duck”! (I am Nottingham born and bred!)’

However, it seems that just as many people loved the first episode as were irritated by the accent. 

AllyFogg wrote on the social media platform: ‘I thought Sherwood S2Ep1 was absolutely stupendous last night. Bit less sensationalist in the plot than S1 & all the better for it. The writing, performances, production all truly magnificent.’

‘Brilliant writing,’ atvfriend wrote. Another fan, NickMotown added: ‘Really enjoyed Sherwood last night, although I’m less than thrilled about having to wait for the episodes to air to watch them rather than bingeing them all in one go, like it’s 1979 or something.’

It comes after show creator James, spoke to Metro.co.uk where he revealed the real-life stories and inspiration that led to the second series, ‘There are so many different components, much like in the first series. These people were my neighbours and friends, I wanted to protect them a bit, I didn’t want to put them through having to relive that specific trauma so that I could turn it into art.’

He was aware that in the particular community he was writing about, the stories were ‘pushed down and repressed’, and people didn’t talk about them.

But James was simultaneously aware of the ‘value’ in drama, and wanted to find a way to ’empathetically and kindly work through this very difficult stuff’.

Sherwood series 2 airs Sunday and Monday on BBC One nights across three weeks.

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