The Undeclared War season 2: everything you need to know

Season 1 recap | Season 2 plot | Why you should watch | Filming locations | Full cast | Trailer | Release date

Four years after The Undeclared War first landed on our screens, Simon Pegg’s cyber thriller is fiiiinally back! And honestly? We couldn’t be more excited!

If you somehow missed the first season (where have you been?!), don’t panic! You’ve still got plenty of time to binge all six episodes before season 2 arrives on Tuesday 21st July on Channel 4! 

When the first series aired in 2022, it was set two years in the future in 2024… Fast forward to today and were now living two years beyond the show’s timeline… and somehow it got a lot right. From wars to cyber-attacks, misinformation and of course, deepfakes – it’s one of those dramas that feels even more relevant now than it did four years ago.

We were lucky enough here at Freely to head along the first episode screening and cast Q&A, where we picked up a whole lotta behind-the-scenes gossip! So grab an iced drink and let’s get into everythingggg you need to know about The Undeclared War season 2.

What is The Undeclared War about?

Espionage is brought to life through a completely different lens in The Undeclared War! Rather than taking us inside MI5 or MI6 like your typical British spy thriller, this Simon Pegg leads this drama into the world of GCHQ – and honestly, it’s a refreshing change. 

In the first season we see placement student Saara Parvin's first day at GCHQ unfold with a flurry of chaos, a huge cyber-attack takes down internet services, with fingers being pointed at Russia, Saara is thrown into the middle of a national security crisis. Talk about a memorable first day! 

As the series unfolds, we watch political tensions simmer towards breaking point, Saara's personal life begin to fall apart and we get a raw, gripping insight into an organisation that most of us know very little about. It's clever, tense and gives espionage a modern twist that feels incredibly relevant.

The other side of the story explores the power of misinformation and deep fakes through the character of Marina Veslova (played by Tinatin Dalakishvili), who leaves Russia to become a presenter for Russian Global News. 

Psssst spoiler alert! If you haven't watched season 1 yet, we'd skip the next section for now. Go binge all six episodes, then come straight back!

What to expect from season 2 of The Undeclared War:

Following the aftermath of one of the biggest cyber-attacks in history, The Undeclared War season 2 picks up with GCHQ facing challenges on all fronts. Without America's support and with the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary (soon to become Foreign Secretary) breathing down their necks, the pressure is well and truly on.

After Vadim Trusov passes on exclusive intelligence from the heart of Putin's government, the team must decide what their next move should be and whether they can rebuild their relationship with America before it's too late.

As they begin investigating how the third stage of the cyber-attack was able to happen, the team uncover something even more alarming – evidence that there's a mole buried deep within GCHQ. And this isn't just anyone... it's someone in a very senior position.

And then there's Saara. After everything they've been through, her priority is simple: find Vadim and make sure he's safe before the FSB find out his involvement. 

Now, we don't want to spoil toooo much (where's the fun in that?), but one thing we can tease is that The Undeclared War is heading somewhere new this season. So get ready to swap Russia for China as the story expands, the political tensions ramp up, and the stakes get even higher.

Why should you watch The Undeclared War?

This truly isn't your average espionage thriller, and that's exactly why we love it.

What really captivated us (and plenty of the audience) in the first season is the way we're transported into the world inside her head. The camera goes from her sat at her desk to in her mind where she's exploring different scenarios, solving problems and interacting with a computer that appears before her. It's such a clever way of bringing coding to life and makes you feel like you're solving the puzzle right alongside her.

It's little details like this that make The Undeclared War stand out from other spy dramas. Instead of relying on big action scenes, it finds exciting and creative ways to build tension – and it works brilliantly.

Oooo... and let's not forget Saara's iconic tech toolbelt. 

Where is The Undeclared War filmed?

Season 2 of The Undeclared War was filmed primarily in Cardiff but was a mixture of purpose-built sets and real locations to bring GCHQ to life. 

This season the designer got to go into the organisation itself to get inspiration from how it’s designed inside butttt of course they weren’t able to take any photos so they had to draw everything by hand. And the attention to detail clearly paid off. During the Q&A, writer Colin Teevan revealed that when the first episode was screened at GCHQ, even the organisation's Director was surprised by just how accurate the recreated sets looked. We'd call that a job well done!

Oh, and here's one more exclusive fact we have to share... 

The production team were also granted two days of drone filming around iconic Doughnut headquarters – something that's incredibly rare. Keep your eyes peeled because you might just spot some angles of the famous building you've never seen before!

Who is starring in Season 2 of The Undeclared War?

So, our understanding here at Freely is Simon Peggs’s character Danny Patrick will take a bigger role this season, alongside Danny’s wife Barbara (Siân Brooke, Blue Lights) who joins as a Senior Analyst in the China Department at GCHQ. Alongside these two, the lovely Hannah Khalique-Brown is back as Saara Parvin!

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg plays Danny Patrick the Chief of Operations at GCHQ who is the key point of contact between the intelligence professionals, hackers and David Neil, the CEO. His character is very diplomatic, and we are expecting to see a lotttt more depth this season.

Fun fact! Simon Pegg had two uncles called Tony who both used to work at GCHQ and his brother Steve did the wiring of the new building!

Hannah Khalique-Brown

Hannah Khalique-Brown returns as Saara Parvin, a computed science student who joined the GCHQ Malware department on placement. Season one saw her character go through losing her father, understanding herself and her identity and of course, learning all the challenges that come with working in espionage. We’re expecting to see her career at GCHQ escalate in season 2 when she’s pulled in to help determine find a mole in the team.

Siân Brooke

Siân Brooke (Blue Lights) joins us in season 2 as Barabara, the wife of Danny Patrick and ex MI6 agent, who also works at GCHQ but as a Senior Analyst in the China Department. What we learnt at the Q&A is this is quite common because although they can’t talk to each other about what they do within separate teams and departments they at least have a mutual understanding of the pressures.

We can’t wait to see Siân’s performance in this role and the dynamic between the two characters both at home and in the workplace.

Alex Jennings

Alex Jennings (The Crown) returns in season two as David Neil, the CEO of the GSHQ who hard working is, loyal and much loved by his staff.

Jason Tobin

Known primarily for his role as Mr. Lao in A Thousand Blows Jason Tobin joins the cast for season 2.

Ed Stoppard

Returning as Richard Marston, Ed Stoppard is back as the newly elevated Foreign Secretary.

German Segal

German Segal will return as Vadim Trusov who is still working for the FSB but possibly in a different country this time…

Danny Sapani

Danny Sapani (Black Panther) also joins the cast as Charlie Francis, GCHQ’s Head of Security and Danny’s childhood friend. When the team find out there’s a mole, his mission is to find out both who and why! 

Chloe Pirrie

You’ll recognise her from Black Mirror! Chloe Pirrie joins the cast as LT Colonel Roz Cavendish, seconded by Marston to GCHQ in the newly created role of Director of Rapid Response, a move that Danny sees as a threat to his authority.

The trailer for The Undeclared War season 2:

When can I watch Season 2 of The Undeclared War?

Great newssss, it’s juuust around the corner. You will be able to watch season 2 of The Undeclared War from Tuesday 21st July on Channel 4.

So make sure to add The Undeclared War to your Freely MyList and if you're looking for more shows to watch, why not check out the Freely TV guide.