Actress Gillian Anderson returns to her role as tough Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson as she is seen for the first time working on the second series of tense thriller The Fall.

The star began work this week on the series which is being filmed in Belfast as she is once again on the trail of serial killer Paul Spector - played by Jamie Dornan, who is also working on the film version of Fifty Shades Of Grey.

Anderson was noted for her stylish silk blouses in the first series, one of which popped open as she was conducting a police press conference, although there is not a button in sight as she is seen returning to the character in the first still from the new series.

The new series of six hour-long episodes picks up where the other left off, as she continues her hunt for the fugitive who has left a trail of bodies, with writer and director Allan Cubitt again in charge.

Although the pair never met on screen, Gibson and Spector's taunting and pursuit gripped viewers to make it BBC2's biggest new drama launch for a decade.

Anderson said: "I'm over the moon to be back in production with this team again and to step into the shoes of the elusive Stella for what promises to be an even darker second season."

And Dornan - set to win a worldwide fan base through his role as Christian Grey in his dramatisation of EL James's erotica tale - said: "I'm delighted to be back in production for the second series of The Fall. Allan Cubitt has outdone himself, and the scripts are stunning."

Also returning to the drama is John Lynch as assistant chief constable Jim Burns, and Bronagh Waugh as Spector's wife Sally-Ann.

Stephen Wright, head of drama for BBC Northern Ireland, said: "We were delighted with the response to series one and can't wait to unleash Allan Cubitt's superb new scripts on the audience."