The End of the F***ing World season two: Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden on teens, violence and meeting fans

The End of the F***ing World was one of the real surprise TV hits of the last few years

Based on the cult comic by cartoonist Charles Forsman, the Channel 4 / Netflix co-production came out of nowhere to be one of the most talked-about shows of 2017, both in the UK and the US. The dark, offbeat series was about seventeen-year-old James (Alex Lawther), who believes he is a psychopath and is planning out his first murder. It follows his relationship with Alyssa (Jessica Barden), as they end up on the run. To say any more would spoil the drama, but with only eight episodes, at twenty or so minutes long each, it is definitely worth your time. Despite concluding on a moment that would imply that the show was only intended to last one season, a second series of The End of the F***ing World was quickly put into production and is airing across Channel 4 this week with two episodes every night at 10pm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xZFWoQPqbY Both Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden return in the lead roles, with newcomer (and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker star) Naomi Ackie joining the cast as new character Bonnie. Lawther and Barden both dropped by the JOE studios to talk about the return of The End of the F***ing World - which was only the second-ever interview they had done together. The duo confirmed that the follow-up season was never a certainty for the cast: "I don't think that there was a plan to do a second season when we were shooting season one," says Lawther. "We didn't even know if people were going to watch it!" adds Barden. Barden and Lawther also opened up about their off-screen friends and their first impressions of each other, as well how they approached the dark and potentially controversial themes of the show. The End of the F***ing World, Series 2 airs Monday 4th to Thursday 7th November on Channel 4, with two new episodes double-billed every night across the week from 10pm. The entire eight-part series will be available to stream on All 4 after Monday night’s double bill.