One of the most hotly anticipated returns of 2018 is HBO’s mesmerising Westworld – and now we have some more concrete details on just which characters will be returning when Season 2 of this genre favourite premieres next month.

Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy revealed a little more info on the second season when speaking to EW, confirming that Ed Harris’ Man in Black and Jimmi Simpson’s William will be back to once more play a key part as the show progresses through its second year. Those two characters, of course, are actually one and the same; a twist finally revealed in the season finale.

Also returning to action for Season 2 are Shannon Woodward’s Elsie Hughes and Luke Hemsworth’s Ashley Stubbs, two characters who will now get the chance to experience Westworld as guests rather than from a managerial position looking in from the outside. Tessa Thompson’s Charlotte Hale is another who’ll be back, too, but she is another who will be under threat from the hosts. Then there’s Thandie Newton’s Maeve, who will begin the season with Simon Quaterman’s Lee Sizemore as her hostage.

Another hugely important part of the impressive ensemble of the first season was, of course, Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores. Not only will she be back, but so too will Dolores’ father Peter Abernathy, as played by Louis Herthum.

Wrapping up the returns, Angela Sarafyan will be back as Clementine Pennyfeather, while Dr Robert Ford will actually be reappearing in the second season. Anthony Hopkins’ Dr Ford was killed off by Dolores in the season finale, but a new actor will be brought in to play a younger version of Ford in some flashback sequences dotted throughout Season 2.

Season 2 of Westworld will premiere on HBO on April 22nd in the US, with the new season airing simultaneously on Sky Atlantic here in the UK – meaning the show will air at 2am on April 23rd.