Blue Lights – our very favourite BBC police drama – is returning  in September so now’s the right time to serve you a handy series 2 recap.

The Northern Irish TV series is set in the fictional Blackthorn police station in Belfast, with the brilliant first series having aired in March 2023.

Series 3 catches up with Grace, Annie and Tommy two years into their jobs as response officers. They are now accustomed to life under the blue lights…

However, we know a day in the life of the officers is never plain sailing. BBC One tells us: “Their work will take them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, the world of the accountants and lawyers who facilitate organised crime.”

This time, a new global gang rule Belfast. But, back in series 2 in 2024, viewers saw multiple gangs competing to fill the space left by the McIntyre gang. Of course, this made policing the area more difficult than ever.

So what happened in series 2? And how were things left with our favourite coppers Grace and Stevie? Read on for a Blue Lights series 2 recap…

***Warning: spoilers from Blue Lights series 2 ahead***

What happened in Blue Lights series 2?

Series 2 of Blue Lights was set exactly a year after the dramatic conclusion of season 1. Viewers will know that the end of the first series saw the team lose one of their own. RIP veteran cop Gerry Cliff (played by Richard Dormer).

This time, Grace, Annie and Tommy faced new challenges as they matured as police officers. On the streets of Belfast, new gangs competed to fill the space left by the McIntyre gang who were dispatched at the end of series 1.

A synopsis told us: “One year on from series one, Belfast city centre is awash with drugs and beset by street crime. Our response officers Grace, Annie and Tommy are no longer wide-eyed rookies. They are beginning to feel the personal and psychological effects of relentless and punishing police work.”

Who was Lee Thompson?

Seamus O’Hara and Seána Kerslake joined the cast of Blue Lights series 2 as siblings Lee and Mags Thompson. Lee was a former soldier and “a protestant from east Belfast” who began “feeling exploited by the gangs who ran the estate, as well as the people who have let it happen”. This meant he stepped up when a loyalist feud caused chaos on Mount Eden Estate.

He sought to take over the drug-running – believing he had better intentions than the other gangs. However, it was always going to end in violence. In a bid to wrangle control, Lee ordered a hitman to kill Jim ‘Dixie’ Dixon – a rival loyalist gangster, portrayed by Chris Corrigan.

This subsequently created a power vacuum in the Mount Eden estate. One that Lee happily stepped into.

Mount Eden mass riot

As Lee fought to keep control of the gang, his young nephew Henry was watching everything. In shocking scenes, the young lad – influenced by his uncle – wielded a gun at Stevie and Grace. This was all caught on camera by shocked onlookers.

However, after a bit of deep-fakery by Lee, the footage made it look like his nephew was threatened by a mass swarm of armed police. The tension between the locals and police eventually led to a mass riot, where petrols bombs were being thrown around like candy. Frankly, it was lucky more people didn’t end up dead. Sadly, uncle Rab went into cardiac arrest during the police stand-off and subsequently died.

Fans will know that Rab Thompson was the uncle of Mags and Lee Thompson, played by actor Dan Gordon.

‘Murray’s underhand intelligence tactics were exposed’

Back at the station, the team eventually found a link to Thompson and the Dixon murder. They realised the face covering worn by Dixon’s killer was identical to one found with the dead body of military veteran Ian ‘Soupy’ Campbell. His ex-army comrade Lee Thompson asked to have an identical scarf as a token of their time serving in Afghanistan.

The scarf was subsequently found in the Mount Eden home, and linked Lee and Craig McQuarrie to Dixon’s murder. However, when McQuarrie confessed, the cops still had nothing on Lee.

Although Lee got away with his part in Dixon’s death, he was ousted from the community by his sister. She was furious that her son Henry was found in possession of Lee’s gun. Elsewhere, Murray’s underhand intelligence tactics were exposed.

Detective Murray Canning, played by Desmond Eastwood, took a leading role within the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce (PCTF). He led the investigating into the ongoing drug problem in Belfast linked to paramilitary groups and rival gang leaders.

Although he was a good police detective, he often crossed the line in order to achieve results.

Blue Lights series 2 recap: Did Grace and Stevie get together?

Grace and Stevie’s will-they-won’t-they relationship has kept us guessing (and hoping) since series 1. In series 2, after weeks of puppy-dog eyes, and longing looks, Grace and Stevie finally appeared to get together in the final episode.

They shared a kiss in the precinct after Stevie returned to the station having put his life in danger on the frontline. Later, during after-work drinks, a tired Stevie left early.

After some sage advice from Annie, who told Grace she “thinks too much”, Grace grabbed her coat and followed Stevie out of the pub. When Stevie saw her, he asked: “Did I forget something?”

To which Grace replied: “Yeah, I think so, yeah.” Viewers then saw Grace slip into the back of the cab, as Stevie smiled from ear to ear like that cat that got the cream. As the taxi drove off, we saw Grace lean her head on Stevie’s shoulder.

The trailer for series 3 (see below), appears to confirm the couple are still together in the new episodes.

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Blue Lights series 1 and 2 are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Series 3 arrives as a boxset on Monday, September 29, 2025 and on BBC One at 9pm.