Trailer and first look images for The Split Barcelona
The two-part special will air this month
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 is set to return for a two-part special, featuring some of the original cast!
Set two years on from series three, production for the two-part special started in May, which will see the likes of Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Fiona Button, Annabel Scholey and Deborah Findlay all feature. As filming wrapped earlier this year, the BBC have now confirmed when the episodes will be on TV.
What will it be about?
The special will be 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
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
The Split Barcelona
When will it be on TV?
The Split Barcelona will air on Sunday 29th December and Monday 30th December.
Who is in the cast?
Fans will be pleased to know a number of The Split cast will be returning 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 will also be introduced to brand new character Archie Moore in the two-part special, played by Percy Jackson actor Toby Stephens.
How can I watch it?
The Split two-part special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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.”
Check out all of the Christmas TV specials:
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Air date: 24th December (8pm)
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The Weakest Link Christmas Special
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Air date: 25th December (3.15pm)
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The Split Barcelona
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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 intial news, it's now being reported filming for The Split Up has been 'paused indefinitely' due to editorial reasons.
All three series of The Split are available on BBC iPlayer now.
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BBC legal drama The Split is getting a spin-off series
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Date confirmed for Outnumbered Christmas special as original cast reunite