FILMING is expected to start soon on a second series of the BBC drama The Coroner.

The first series, shown on BBC One last autumn, was largely filmed in and around the South Hams.

Locations in the first series included The Old Customs House in Bayard’s Cove, Dartmouth, which was used as the Coroners Office, The Mansion in Totnes, which was the Coroners Court; and Coroner Jane Kennedy, played by Claire Goose, and her daughter Beth lived at Hope Cove.

A BBC spokesman said: ’The Coroner will return with a 10-part series that will start shooting in and around South Devon later this year.

‘The investigative crime series premiered on BBC One in autumn 2015 with a consolidated series average of 1.7m viewers.’

Dan McGolpin, controllor of BBC Daytime, said: ’The Coroner was extremely well received and we will return to south Devon to investigate more unexplained deaths this autumn.’

Will Trotter, head of Daytime Drama, at Birming­ham Drama Village, which produced The Coroner, said: ‘The Coroner is an exceptional production which has delivered on a number of levels for our daytime viewers.

‘We’re thrilled with the audience figures and look forward to bringing more gripping stories to our BBC One viewers with the next series.’

Meanwhile, Visit South Devon claims The Coroner has boosted interest in holidays in the area.

A spokesman said: ‘Demand for the guide is up to the end of January is up 36 per cent on the same period of last year, boosted by the combined impact of BBC1’s The Coroner filmed in Dartmouth, news of Radio 1’s One Big Weekend at Powderham, and the raised profile of Teignmouth resulting from filming of the new James Marsh film Deep Water last year.’

With faster travel times and reduced congestion with the opening of new South Devon Highway, Visit South Devon is forecasting another bumper tourism season and requests levels for the free guide remain strong in February.

Acting general manager for Visit South Devon Sarah Stride said: ‘2016 is a golden opportunity for the tourism industry in the local area.

‘The national and international attention that is likely to focus on Teignmouth and Powderham is hugely exciting, and we’re also expecting great interest in the South Hams following the extraordinary popularity of The Coroner.

‘To meet this growing appetite for information about South Devon, we’ve increased guide numbers by nearly 45 per cent this year, upping our print run to 72,000 copies. Supported by an online version of the guide, we aim to meet demand wherever it comes from across the globe.’