Patrick Baladi joins Parminder Nagra on the cast of ITV thriller DI Ray 2

Actor Patrick Baladi, who is best known for playing Neil Godwin in the BBC sitcom The Office, Michael Jackson in the Sky 1 drama Stella and Stephen Holmes in the ITV thriller Marcella, has joined Parminder Nagra on the cast of the second season of her hit crime drama, DI Ray.

Baladi has been roped in to play DI Patrick Holden, a detective who becomes involved in the title character’s latest harrowing case. It is an investigation that will once again see Leicester -born Rachita tackle a culturally sensitive crime in Birmingham, with racial tensions hitting new highs.

ITV has announced that the team has commenced filming season 2.

In the new season, Nagra will once again be joined by Gemma Whelan as DCI Kerry Henderson, Ian Puleston-Davies as Superintendent Ross Beardsmore, Steve Oram as DS Clive Bottomley, Peter Bankole as DS Kwesi Edmund, and Sam Baker-Jones as DC Liam Payne. In addition to Baladi, new cast members include Our House's Dinita Gohil, Witney White (Father Brown), Michael Socha (Chernobyl), Syreeta Kumar (Apple Tree Yard), Lauren Drummond (Holby City), and Taha Rahim.

Talking about DI Ray 2, Nagra had earlier said: "So thrilled to be back to start work on DI Ray 2. We have an amazing team helming it this season for what looks to be an exciting season."

DI Ray is a production of Jed Mercurio's HTM Television, which is written and created by Line of Duty alum Maya Sondhi, who viewers will remember for her compelling turn as Maneet Bindra in the BBC One thriller.

Sondhi said: "I am excited to bring DI Ray back to our screens for a second series that promises to go deeper, darker, and [be] more explosive than the last.”

Stay tuned to this space for more updates!