‘I love the whole look of this season’: Parminder Nagra on ‘D.I. Ray 2'

As the highly anticipated second season of D.I. Ray approaches, fans are eager to see what lies ahead for Detective Inspector Rachita Ray, played by the talented Parminder Nagra.

The British crime drama, which captivated audiences with its gripping first season, is set to delve deeper into complex narratives and character arcs.

Nagra, known for her roles in Bend It Like Beckham and ER, shared her excitement and insights about the upcoming season in a recent interview.

Talking about her character, she tells TV Insider, “She wasn’t left in good shape by the end of first season after the amount of betrayal that she went through, especially with her partner and the fact that we pick up so quickly after the shooting of Tony, [Martyn] going to prison, and then Rachita being suspended—which in my mind, I’m like, ‘For what reason really? I mean, for doing my job?’ But I think she’s probably a little bit reluctant honestly to go back to work because she’s still going back to the same workplace and still dealing with the same people,” Nagra tells TV Insider.

When asked if DI Ray has another homicide to investigate, the actress says, “It’s obviously another sensitive case, and being who she is, if she’s going to go and do it, she’s going to go and do it to the best of her ability. And that’s what I actually love about Rachita, is she just sort of goes for it,” Nagra continues. “She’s just thrust back into it, and it’s a race against time trying to, as with all these crime dramas, get to what is happening, who’s involved, unpicking and unpacking everything one step at a time.”

The actress adds “I think Rachita’s suspicious of everybody. At this point, there’s no one she can trust. The one person she thought she could trust was her partner and he turned out to be not so great. So, I think she’s going into Season 2 from that place actually, not a lot of trust but wanting to do her work.”

Sharing her excitement about the new season, Nagra says, “The way that Season 2 has been shot, it’s very noir, it’s a lot grittier. There’s a lot more edge to it, which I just love. I love the whole look of this season.”

D.I. Ray picks up with a second season on PBS on June 16.