Season two rejoins The Hour team in 1957 where we are introduced to new characters played by Peter Capaldi (The Thick Of It, The Nativity) Hannah Tointon (The Inbetweeners) and Tom Burke (State of Play). They strive to broadcast the stories they believe in at the same time they grapple with the looming specter of the Cold War and changing social mores. With the advent of the space race and the threat of nuclear annihilation forever looming, Britain grapples with an era of unprecedented scientific advancement, economic opportunity and cultural change in the face of new immigration from the Commonwealth. At the same time, the members of The Hour team live in a world of cover-ups, sexual intrigues and lurking fascism.