The Gentlemen 2 is a white knuckle ride of laughs, romance and danger – with lashings of glamour courtesy of Maya Jama

★★★★★ BLOODIED and beaten to a pulp, the virtually unrecognisable face of a man peers out of a muddy ­shallow grave. Maya Jama adds a touch of extra glamour to the new series of The Gentlemen on Netflix Credit: Getty Kaya Scodelario stars as Susie Glass and Theo James as Eddie Horniman in Guy Ritchie’s hit show Credit: PA That’s the dark start to the second outing of The Gentlemen — out on Netflix today — setting the tone for the rest of the series, which pulls no punches. The scene is one of the most shocking because the bloke who’s been left at death’s door is none other than the central character, Eddie Horniman, the Duke of Halstead — played by Theo James. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! And if director Guy Ritchie can kick things off by virtually killing the leading man, then you get the feeling anything could happen. And it does. The Gentlemen 2 is a white-knuckle ride of glamour — largely courtesy of Love Island host Maya Jama, who puts in a decent performance. READ MORE ON THE GENTLEMEN Theo James’ starring role in The Gentlemen 2 sets him up for a possible future Bond role Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Legendary actor Ray Winstone attended the premier with daughter Jaime Credit: Getty It comes with lashings of laughs, romance and a constant undercurrent of danger, courtesy of the duke’s gangster cohorts. If it all sounds rather similar to the debut series, then viewers will be pleasantly surprised. Instead of lazily delivering more of the same, the sequel has a heightened sense of jeopardy throughout. And there’s Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville guest starring as an ostentatious lord, which balances things out with a side- splitting bit of campery. Most read in TV Love Island host Maya certainly does not look out of place in her role in the show Credit: Matthew Towers/Netflix Former footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones’ character comes into his own towards the series’ end TV series often struggle with following up a hit first season – The Gentlemen has lived up to the hype Credit: Christopher Raphael/Netflix The real challenge for the writers and cast is how they follow up for the third season The whole eight-parter feels a little like a long audition for Theo to bag that much-talked-about James Bond lead. If he isn’t cavorting with beautiful women, he’s behind the wheel of a vintage sports car, grappling with henchmen, or jet- setting across some sun-soaked foreign lands. But he doesn’t always steal the limelight. Vinnie Jones’s character, gamekeeper Seacombe, comes into his own towards the series’ end, in a particularly breathtaking episode. All in all, Ritchie has gone from a hugely-hyped debut in 2024 to achieving one of the most tricky things in TV — that difficult second series. Now he faces an almost impossible task in serving up the third season, because this might just be the perfect Gentlemen. Comment now