Creator and writer Grace Ofori-Attah has done it again. When it first premiered in 2023, Malpractice has the most-watched launch episode of a new drama on ITV1 (according to ITV).

And we’re here to report that the second season of Malpractice, also from the team behind Line of Duty, is every bit as tense and absorbing as its debut season.

Tom Hughes replaces the brilliant Niamh Algar as this season’s lead, under the scrutinising spotlight, Psychiatric Registrar Dr James Ford. He finds himself under investigation when he is forced to juggle the needs of an anxious new mother against the sectioning of a patient.

To say the outcome of his decision was unfavourable would be to sorely undersell the devastating events. However, Dr Ford was not the only one whose career was hanging by a tenuous thread. Instead his situation dredged up shocking events that threatened many careers and exposed the discord within the hospital.

Ofori-Attah and her team have assembled a beautifully talented ensemble cast who really bring the drama’s heavy emotions to life.

Related: Re-imagined ’80s crime drama confirms return for “thrilling” new season

Dr Ford’s fret steadily builds across the episodes, morphing into utter dread that results in more bad choices which then continue to derail his life. In his portrayal of the character, Hughes made sure that James’s angst was ever-present, pulsating throughout the narrative as the events unfolded.

He was matched by co-star Selin Hizli, whose Dr Sophia Hernandez operated from a place of self-preservation. Hizli brought to the table a taught and nervous energy that was uncomfortably intoxicating to watch.

Zoë Telford is also one to watch as Dr Kate McAllister. Telford’s ability to bring a slippery quality to the character, in an effortless way, only added to the necessary unease of the story.

Related: Netflix’s new Grey’s Anatomy-style is missing one vital thing to be a success

Helen Behan and Jordan Kouamé underpin the series as the only returning characters, linking each season through their roles as Medical Investigation Unit (MIU) employees Norma Callahan and George Adjei respectively. The pair tackled the case with the same tenacious and inquisitive appetite as they did the first time around.

Malpractice season one was perhaps a little more relatable, as viewers could sympathise with how the impact of the pandemic could have derailed the brilliant doctor Dr Lucinda Edwards’ (Algar) life.

However Malpractice season two gives you no other option but to connect with its characters through its beautifully written script and the persuading talent of its cast.

The presence of the theme of mental health is still very much part of the show, but the new season has woven it throughout in a more prominent way through Dr Ford’s specific line of work.

The vulnerability of his patients – in particular, the aforementioned anxious new mother Rosie Newman (Hannah McClean) – evoke so much emotion.

Episode one of Malpractice’s second season delivers a quietly breathtaking moment, one that many will undoubtedly see coming, but that will nevertheless still your heart for a few beats, thanks to the execution of it.

The intensity only builds from there on out, and as the new season of Malpractice progresses you will be left as highly strung as its doctors.