Exclusive: The Mallorca Files doubles its ratings during lockdown

And RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal that the lure of blue skies proved to be a ratings winner. The BBC has confirmed that the daytime cop show doubled its ratings for its second series.

The success will be welcome news to fans, who are already asking when they can expect a third season.

The crime caper, described by some critics as a cross between Death in Paradise and Moonlighting, tells the story of a Welsh cop, Miranda, who teams up with a German detective, Max, on Mallorca. The show has earned a loyal fanbase since it started in 2019, and returned for six episodes at the beginning of February with an impressive list of guest stars including Kacey Ainsworth and Phil Daniels.

Series two drew average audiences of 1.7 million viewers, while also being streamed 1.2 million times so far on BBC iPlayer. It was initially commissioned for a run of ten episodes but filming was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning there are four episodes that have been written, but are yet to be filmed.

"I’m disappointed that we haven’t been able to make them… yet," says writer Dan Sefton, who also pens ITV's Good Karma Hospital. 'We were about to start filming the episode of one of our new young writers and also had a great finale planned that was going to be really high energy and exciting. I’m hopeful, though, that if this series goes down well, we’ll still get a chance to have them produced."

The BBC is remaining tight-lipped for now on whether a third series will be commissioned, but we will bring you up to date with any announcements as soon as we hear them.

Series 1 and 2 of The Mallorca Files are available now on BBC iPlayer. To find out what else is on, check out our TV Guide.