The Split season 3 is almost upon us, returning us to the world of London’s high-end divorce circuit one final time.
And judging by the first look images unveiled by BBC One, the show is certainly going to go out with a bang when it returns next week.
The drama follows the three Defoe sisters, with the upcoming instalment focusing on eldest sister Hannah’s (Nicola Walker) unravelling marriage to husband Nathan (Stephen Mangan).
The new set of first look images includes a still showing Hannah on the phone (below) and looking perturbed. Is Nathan refusing to cooperate during their divorce proceedings?
Walker previously said in a statement: “I can’t wait to be back in the Defoe Family, we are all looking forward to the journey Abi has planned for us. I don’t know if Hannah will cling to the wreckage or walk away, but I do know it’s going to be a fantastic ride.”
The show’s creator and BAFTA-winning writer Abi Morgan (Suffragette) is set to make her directorial debut on the third and final season.
She previously said the show “has always been conceived as three”, promising “the most dramatic and heart-breaking series to date” as Walker’s character, a divorce lawyer, is faced with her own separation.
What’s more, Christie (Barry Atsma) will also return for the finale series, while there’s also a high-profile new addition to the cast: Laura Pulver (Sherlock) will portray child psychologist Kate.
Read on for everything you need to know about The Split season three.
The Split season 3 release date
It’s official: the third season of The Split will air on 4th April at 9pm on BBC One.
Filming began in June 2021.
The second season averaged over six million viewers and over 19 million streams, becoming the third most watched drama series on BBC iPlayer in 2020.
The Split season 3 cast: Who is returning?
The majority of The Split season 2 cast have now been confirmed for season 3, including the Defoe sisters, Hannah (Nicola Walker), Nina (Annabel Scholey), and Rose (Fiona Button), and their formidable mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay).
Also returning are Stephen Mangan as Hannah’s (soon-to-be-ex) husband Nathan, and Barry Atsma as Christie – Hannah’s affair partner.
And for season 3, there’s a high-profile new addition to the cast. Lara Pulver will play Kate, “a leading child psychologist whose arrival adds a whole new layer of complexity to Morgan’s multi-layered examination of divorce and modern marriage”.
Pulver has previously been seen in Sherlock (as Irene Adler), Spooks, True Blood, The Alienist, and Da Vinci’s Demons.
The Split season 3 trailer
We now have a trailer for the upcoming season of the returning drama series.
Catch the clip of the beloved Nicola Walker series below.
What lies in store for Hannah and co in the new episodes? We can’t wait to find out but do check out below for an idea of what to expect.
The Split season 3 plot
We’re told: “This farewell series, equal parts electrifying, witty and heart-breaking, continues to put the Defoe sisters and their matriarch at its heart; a group of powerful women working together to help their clients, their colleagues and each other as they continue to navigate the messiness of life.”
Set 10 months after Nathan and Hannah’s marriage ended and the extent of her betrayal is revealed, the two professional divorce lawyers are negotiating their divorce. However, as the stakes become clear, Hannah realises how much she could lose.
BBC teases a “shocking revelation that dramatically changes the stakes”, adding: “Battle lines are redrawn, their dream of achieving the ‘good divorce’ is left in tatters.”
Abi Morgan said: “It’s great to be back writing for the Defoe Family, and to dive once more into to the complications of their lives and those of their clients.
“In the final series of this bittersweet trilogy, Hannah faces the heartbreak of her own divorce, and the fight to save her family and her marriage.
“Siblings clash, past mistakes are exposed and hearts are broken as Noble Hale and Defoe notches up more billable hours in the divorce capital of the world.”
The Split will return to BBC One on 4th April at 9pm, and series one and two are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. Take a look at what else is on with our TV guide.
