The Split creator explains tragic twist in episode one
Series 3 started very emotional
Following a two-year wait, fans of BBC drama The Split were thrilled on Monday night (4th April), when series three finally hit our screens with Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan.
And whilst the Noble Hale Defoe lawyers are back to work, there were a lot of twists and turns in the opening episode, which resulted in tragedy for a beloved character.
⚠️WARNING: The below article contains some spoilers from The Split ⚠️
As well as finding out Hannah Stern (Nicola Walker) and Nathan Stern (Stephen Mangan) had split following Hannah's affair with Christie Carmichael (Barry Atsma), viewers also discovered Nathan had a new girlfriend, and that the former couple's teenage daughter was getting married.
As if this wasn't enough to digest, the episode took a tragic turn when beloved character James Cutler (Rudi Dharmalingam) was killed following a bicycle accident, just moments after viewers learnt he and girlfriend Rose Defoe were planning to adopt following a number of heartbreaking miscarriages in the past.
Following upsetting scenes which left viewing in tears, The Split's creator Abi Morgan has now revealed her thinking behind the dramatic first episode, admitting it had to occur in order for the story to move forward.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Abi said: "I mean, it was so hard actually because Rudi's such a wonderful actor. In fact, I really loved the chemistry between the two of them.
"You know I've had some really quite major life changes over the last three or four years and they've been the sweetener to life, and they've made me really realise that life is short and not a rehearsal."
She later explained: "To kill a much-loved character, it's always hard but I felt in a way, the arc of his journey, one of the last things he says is, 'I don't want to miss life, Rose.'
"I thought if that's what the audience is left with, then what an amazing gift to have left everybody. So I guess that was the point. But then the other thing is, it's a drama and I've got to f--k it up a bit. You don't want to watch three couples when it's all okay."
Check out the best TV crime dramas available to binge watch now:
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Trigger Point (ITVX and STV Player)
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The Wives (Channel 5)
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The Capture (BBC iPlayer)
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The Responder (BBC iPlayer)
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Happy Valley (BBC iPlayer)
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Manhunt: The Night Stalker (ITVX and STV Player)
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Time (BBC iPlayer)
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Marcella (ITVX and STV Player)
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Coma (Channel 5)
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Deadwater Fell (All4)
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The Split will continue every Monday night on BBC One, or you can binge watch all episodes on the BBC iPlayer right now.
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