Baptiste: What happened at the end of season 1 as the series returns?

Here is a recap of Baptiste season 1 (Picture: BBC/Two Brothers Productions)

**Warning: Spoilers for Baptiste series one**

Calling all Baptiste fans, the second series will be hitting your TV screens imminently, and it promises six thrilling new episodes.

After a short hiatus, Tchéky Karyo will reprise his role as retired police officer Julien Baptiste, but this time he will be heading to Hungary for a new investigation.

Baptiste first graced our screens in The Missing back in 2014, appearing alongside the likes of Keeley Hawes, David Morrissey and James Nesbitt. The detective is now set to return alongside Killing Eve actress Fiona Shaw in series two of the self-titled spin-off show, which is returning for the first time since 2019.

Viewers have been fans of troubled Detective Baptiste for years – but the upcoming second series will be the final time we see him.

While fans may be saddened by this news, bosses Harry and Jack Williams are doing this in order to ‘do right’ by the character. Before you grieve the loss of the show, get excited about the new series.

Read on to find out where we left off.

Baptiste keeps viewers on the edge of their seats (Picture: BBC/Two Brothers Productions)

Baptiste: What happened at the end of season 1 as the series returns?

In series one, Julien meets up with his old flame Martha Horchner (Barbara Sarafian), the city’s Chief of Police, who is after his help in searching for Natalie, a missing girl and the niece of Edward Stratton, an Englishman.

Time is of the essence as there is the chance the case is linked to a Romanian sex trafficking ring. But, of course, nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.

Baptiste manages to track Natalie down, who explained that Edward is not her uncle, but a client with whom she was working for after stealing money from a Romanian trafficking group known as the Brigada.

The detective then decides to work with Martha’s son, Neils Horchner (Boris Van Severen), a young Dutch detective, who is also Julien’s long-lost son.

Season two will most likely be just as intense (Picture: BBC/Two Brothers Productions)

In the finale, Julien and Genevieve Taylor (Jessica Raine) discover that Neils is actually serving as an informant for the Brigada Serbilu. After finally admitting his involvement in the gang, Niels goes on the run.

In one of the many flashbacks in the finale, we see Niels catching up with Martha so she could give him his passport so he could flee, but it turned out she had set him up.

More: BBC

When the cops arrive, Niels pulls out a gun and shoots his mother dead, then shoots Julien in the arm.

He was then taken to prison, and as the second season begins, it is assumed that he is still there.

The second series of Baptiste starts Sunday July 18 on BBC One at 9pm. It will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.

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