Nicola Walker hints at more specials of The Split
Following The Split Barcelona
As well as news earlier this year that popular BBC drama The Split would be getting a spin-off show, bosses later delighted fans by revealing the hit drama was set to return for a two-part special, featuring most of the original cast!
Set two years on from series three, production for the two-part special started in May, with the likes of Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Fiona Button, Annabel Scholey and Deborah Findlay all returning. The two-part special aired over two nights in December 2024, and now actress Nicola has hinted there could be more in the future.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Nicola, who plays Hannah Defoe in the series, said: "I think what we’re going to do is specials every year, as a cast that is what we’d all like to do but that’s just actors talking.
"We all love working together and it was gorgeous that it was a wedding that was going to be in Barcelona, that was gorgeous, too. But honestly they could have said we’re staying in a dark studio somewhere in a very cold part of England and we’d have still been very pleased."
Going on to speak about the potential of any more series, she added: "Listen, I never say never because I love those characters and I love those actors and it’s always a joy to go back to them. I think it has been great having that break away, but I love them so who knows maybe I’ll come back to them again someday,
"But right now it was just nice to take them away on an exotic, fun break from the office and the world of the series of The Split and give people a real treat for Christmas."
Here's everything you need to know about The Split Barcelona...
What is the special about?
The special is called The Split Barcelona, created and written by multi-award winning Abi Morgan.
BBC bosses say of the two part special: 'Two years on, formidable family lawyer Hannah Defoe (Nicola Walker) and her family are back and have gathered for a beautiful wedding at a magnificent vineyard, nestled in Catalonia’s wine region.
'Set across one sun soaked weekend, The Split will encompass break-ups, reunions and like all good weddings, plenty of romance. As the sun rises over the glorious Spanish countryside, Hannah is compelled to banish the ghosts of her past and open herself up to the possibility of love again. Can she find the courage to take the leap into a new future?'
Creator Abi Morgan said: “In a world of brutal break ups and tantalising make ups, the Defoe family are invited to a destination wedding of their own, promising all that audiences have grown to love about The Split. Problematic prenups, scandalous wedding crashers, and low flying marriage proposals, as rom com meets gone wrong, in a chaotic and riotous weekend that guarantees to crack open the heart, before the last of the guests have gone home.”
Is there a trailer?
BBC bosses released the trailer on Monday 9th December, alongside the caption: 'Love, legacy, and modern marriage. Can Hannah find the courage to take the leap into a new future?'.
Check out the first look photos below:
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
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The Split Barcelona
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The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
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The Split Barcelona
How can I watch it?
The Split Barcelona aired on Sunday 29th December and Monday 30th December.
Both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama said: “We know The Split’s millions of fans found it hard to break up with the Defoes, so before we delve into the heady world of The Split Up we couldn’t resist an extra treat in the form of these exquisite, sun-drenched specials from the wonderful Abi Morgan.”
Who is in the cast?
Fans will be pleased to know a number of The Split cast returned for the Spanish extravaganza, including Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey, Fiona Button, Deborah Findlay, Ian McElhinney, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Elizabeth Roberts and Alex Guersman.
Viewers were also introduced to brand new character Archie Moore in the two-part special, played by Percy Jackson actor Toby Stephens.
What is The Split spin-off show?
It was announced earlier this year that The Split would be getting a spin-off series called The Split Up, a six-part show which features the high-stakes world of Manchester’s divorce law circuit, where one family of lawyers, the Kishans, reigns supreme.
The Split Up will feature both a new city and a new family from The Split, and it's understood none of the original cast will feature in the new drama.
Speaking about The Split Up, Abi Morgan said: “After the success of The Split, it’s been great to see The Split Up take shape in lead writer Ursula Rani Sarma’s capable hands, reinvigorating all that audiences love. A new legal family, grabbing at life in a new city, battling new legal cases, as the professional and personal deliciously collide. A brilliant new cast of characters caught in the messiness of love, marriage, deception and divorce, make it their own. It is ripe to be taken into the hearts of anyone who loved the show.”
Despite the initial news, it's now being reported filming for The Split Up has been 'paused indefinitely' due to editorial reasons.
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All three series of The Split are available on BBC iPlayer now, along with The Split Barcelona.
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