The Tourist: A full recap of season one
It was packed with twists and turns
Ready to get stuck in to season two of BBC hit series, The Tourist, but need a little reminder of what's happened so far? We take a look back at season one — and all of its dark twists and turns.
With Northern Ireland's resident heart-throb, Jamie Dornan, fronting a very talented cast, the crime series was nominated for a BAFTA the year after it first aired in 2022. Here's why fans loved it so much:
What happened in season one?
The series starts with lead character, Elliot Stanley (Jamie Dornan), being run off a road in the Australian Outback by a sinister looking truck driver. Elliot later wakes up in hospital, with absolutely no idea who he is — and so ensues a mission to uncover secrets which led the Irishman to be found in the wreckage of his own car.
While in hospital, Elliot discovers a note in his pocket detailing a time and place. With no other leads, Elliot heads to Burnt Ridge diner, where he meets Luci, the first clue to his former life. She joins him on his mission — but soon turns out to be more heavily involved than she's letting on, having actually been Elliot's former girlfriend. She finally reveals to Elliot what his own name is!
Along the way Elliot meets Helen, the ultra-eager police officer — and an unlikely relationship develops between them. We also meet Marko, a former colleague of Elliot's, who is calling from a mobile phone found stuffed inside a toy at a local petrol station. He's been buried inside a oil drum and is desperately pleading to be rescued. It's too late by the time anyone gets to him though.
The truck driver makes a number of appearances, turning out to be the henchman of a crime boss called Kostas (Alex Dimitriades). Although at this point, we're not sure exactly what Kostas wants with Elliot. Billy, the truck driver, tries to take Elliot out yet again, along with Luci, and subsequently ends up getting himself killed.
Later we meet Detective Inspector Lachlan Rogers who is being blackmailed by Kostas to bring Elliot in. The bent cop's wife has been kidnapped, and so the DI shoots and kills his colleague and captures Elliot.
Throughout the season, Elliot keeps having ominous visions of a woman, and we're led to believe she could be his mother. It's later revealed her name is Lena Pascal, and she's been used as a drug mule by Elliot and his colleagues. Yep, turns out Elliot was working for Kostas until he lost his memory!
The season ends following a shoot out which kills Kostas and Luci, but not before Elliot is forced, at gunpoint, to dig up a bag of money he'd stolen from his boss.
We take a look at some of the main characters and how the season ended for them:
Elliot Stanley
In season one, Elliot wakes following a crash in the deserted Australian outback. Suffering a heavy dose of amnesia, the character, played by Fifty Shades of Grey actor, Jamie Dornan, sets about to find out who is he and who is out to get him. But it's not plain sailing, as the Irishman soon discovers his past is rather chequered.
Although parts of his memory return throughout the season, Elliot is very much still in the dark about his past as we head into season two.
Season one ends with Helen and Elliot reconciling after a brief fallout over Elliot's use of innocent women as drugs mules. This leads Elliot to make an attempt on his own life. But then Helen sends a loaded emoji (a burrito) to suggest things are ok between them. It's representative of the time Elliot told Helen that Mexican food made him happy.
Helen Chambers
Helen, the rookie cop, meets Elliot in the line of duty, but quickly becomes more invested than she should. Elliot takes her hostage — not entirely against her will — and the pair later end up in bed together. Helen (played by actress Danielle Macdonald) is actually engaged to be married to Ethan Krum, a cruel and controlling Australian, who she later tells to jog on (in not so many words).
Kostas Panigiris
Because every crime series needs a bad guy — Kostas and his team of thugs spend the series in a cat-and-mouse chase with Elliot, while we try to work out why. Turns out Elliot has made off with Kostas' fiancé and a million pounds of his cash.
Kostas is a regular microdoser, adding LSD to his bottled water. It's this which prompts the return of parts of Elliot's memory, as he unknowingly swigs from his bottle and starts to hallucinate, before being forced to dig up the missing million from its hiding place.
At the end of the series, Kostas is fatally wounded in a shoot out.
Luci/Victoria
The fiancé in question; 'Luci' enters the series as a waitress in a diner, who happens upon Elliot and joins him on the run, because 'he's the most interesting thing to happen around these parts'. It's later revealed 'Luci' is actually called Victoria — and she'd been having an affair with Elliot before the accident. The pair had stolen Kostas' first made million — and we find out Victoria (played by actress Shalom Brune-Franklin) rips people off for a living. She's also shot and killed during the shoot out.
When was The Tourist season one released?
It first aired on BBC One in January 2022.
How many episodes were in season one?
There were a total of six episodes in season one of The Tourist.
How can I watch season one of The Tourist?
You can catch up on all episodes in both series one and two on BBC iPlayer.
Where was season one of The Tourist filmed?
The series was filmed in South Australia, with key filming locations including Port Augusta, Peterborough and the Flinders Ranges. To complement main character, Elliot's, feeling of desertion, much of the footage was filmed in the Australian outback — with its rugged and vast landscape.
Season two teasers
Season two was released in January 2024. In the trailer, Elliot and Helen are shown to be in Ireland, where they hope to track down friends and family from Elliot's past. But it's not long before more drama unfolds, with the trailer revealing more of the same cat-and-mouse action we loved so much from the first series — this time in the beautiful Irish countryside.
WATCH: The Tourist season two trailer:
Will there be a third season?
Although season three hasn't been confirmed by the BBC, the actor behind the show's main character hasn't ruled it out. In an interview with Collider back in March, Jamie Dornan said of season two: "I think it was very blatantly and purposely open-ended. That's lots of conversations people way more powerful than me have — but we'll see what happens."
Get to know the cast of season one:
The Man
The mysterious main character, 'The Man' wakes up with total memory loss and no idea who he is. He later finds out his name is Elliot Stanley - and he's not who he thinks he is.
Luci Miller
Luci is a waitress at a run-down diner in a near-by town. She is played by Shalom Brune-Franklin, who you might also recognise as Chloe Bishop in Line of Duty.
Helen Chambers
Helen is a local police officer, played by Danielle Macdonald, who is helping 'The Man' rediscover his identity.
Billy Nixon
Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson takes on an American role in The Tourist. The ultimate hit man!
Lachlan Rogers
Detective Inspector Lachlan Rogers has been called out to investigate 'The Man' and his mysterious past. He is played by Australian actor Damon Herriman.
Kosta Panigiris
Not all is as it seems with this character. Australian actor Alex Dimitriades takes on the role.
Now read:
Gogglebox: Everything you need to know about the Channel 4 show
Further casting confirmed for new drama I Fought The Law with Sheridan Smith
All of the TV shows we can’t wait to return