McMAFIA: PLANS FOR SECOND SERIES 'SHELVED' BY BBC

Plans for a second series of BBC One's McMafia have been shelved by the BBC, it's been reported.

It charted Alex Godman’s (James Norton) journey as he is drawn deeper and deeper into the world of organised crime.

As the English-raised son of Russian exiles with a mafia history, Alex has spent his life trying to escape the shadow of that criminal past, building his own legitimate business and forging a life with his girlfriend Rebecca (Juliet Rylance).

But when his family’s past returns to threaten them, Alex is forced to confront his values to protect those he loves. What starts out as a story of survival and revenge becomes an epic tale of a man’s struggle against the lures of corruption in the modern world and in himself. McMafia is impressive and intimate, glamorous and gritty, global in scale and forensic in detail.

Further cast included David Strathairn, Faye Marsay, Aleksey Serebryakov, Maria Shukshina and Merab Ninidze.

A source told The Sun: "McMafia has been beset by problems, ranging from the pandemic to the fact James Norton’s booming career meant it was hard to pin him down to start filming. But it also wasn’t a good look to start a second series of a show where the main protagonist is a gangster from a dodgy Russian family who ultimately triumphs on the back of a string of dark deeds...

"The drama doesn’t glorify the violence or corruption, in fact it attempts to highlight the terrible consequences that followed the break-up of the Soviet Union. But given it deals with murderers and oligarchs, it’s still a very awkward show to be creating in the current climate."

Series 1 of McMafia is available is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.