The Handmaid's Tale is returning sooner than we thought and it looks bleak

'Whatever is silenced will clamor to be heard'

The Handmaid's Tale hit our screens last year, becoming one of the most watched series' of 2017 and winning big over award season.

With a star-studded cast and gripping plot it's hardly surprising, especially given the material it's based on - Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel.

The past year has been a kick in the teeth for women, and so to watch a dystopian society where women have no rights has not only made for some pretty addictive viewing but has also kickstarted a feminist movement.

We tuned in religiously to see how Elisabeth Moss' character Offred was faring in the repressive Gilead, and thanks to the huge cliffhanger at the end of season one, we still don't know her fate. Was she ushered to safety or is she being taken somewhere much worse than the Waterford household? The Colonies, perhaps? It looks like we'll have to wait for season two.

Hulu confirmed that The Handmaid's Tale season two was returning to our screens last year, and now it looks like we don't have long to wait with the Emmy award winning show's second season getting an official UK release date - Sunday 20th May at 9pm.

Disclaimer: It looks bleaker than we imagined - even the trailer, airing last month, gave us chills.

This trailer came after a series of teasers released by the television network, with one particularly confusing sneak peek involving Offred walking through the forest.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about what we can expect from the second series earlier this year, Elisabeth Moss explained, ‘I’ve read the outline for the first episode, and it is fucking ridiculous… It’s insane!'

She continued: ‘I can say this: There is literally no way that anyone can guess what happens. You can try, but you won’t do it. It’s incredible. We’re really looking to blow people away, and we have every intention to break [the story] open and go even further in all directions.We have no intention of doing anything else than being even more balls to the wall than we were in Season 1.’

Be right back - off to rewatch the first season to prepare.