Channel 4 has given the green light to a second series of period drama The Mill.
The new six-part series will be based between 1838 and 1842, a time of political change following the Poor Act Amendment of 1834 which made a distinction between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor.
A press release on series two reads: "As well as picking up where it left off with characters such as feisty Liverpudlian apprentice Esther Price (Kerrie Hayes) and progressive young engineer Daniel Bate (Matthew McNulty), series two will introduce new characters, including John Howlett and his family, economic migrants in search of work in the booming north, and a handsome apprentice shoemaker called Will Whittaker.
"The Mill is a distinctly Channel 4 take on costume drama, showing history from the bottom up - a worm's eye view. The narrative is driven by a young, spirited cast who depict a moment in history when the working classes were beginning to demand a say in their own lives."
Filming will begin at the National Trust's Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire in February.
Series one of The Mill broke records for Channel 4 on launch this summer, with a consolidated audience of 3.8 million.
It was the channel's biggest drama launch since This Is England 88.
