The Split to return with two-part special set in Spain – and Nicola Walker is back
Calling all fans of The Split! The BBC's hit legal drama is returning to our screens with a two-part special – but this time, the Defoes are swapping London for Barcelona!
It's been over two years since viewers bid farewell to the Defoe family at the end of season three, which saw Hannah (Nicola Walker) and Nathan (Stephen Mangan) attempt to navigate their way through a "good divorce".
In series three, we find the Defoe clan in sunny Spain, where they've gathered for a beautiful wedding at a magnificent vineyard, nestled in Catalonia's wine region.
The synopsis continues: "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?"
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Award-winning scribe Abi Morgan returns as writer and creator of the series, which will welcome returning cast members Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey, Fiona Button, Deborah Findlay, Ian McElhinney, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Elizabeth Roberts and Alex Guersman.
Viewers can also expect to see some fresh faces, including Toby Stephens (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Black Sails) as Archie Moore.
HELLO! caught up with Stephen Mangan at the BAFTA Television Awards Nominees' Party in London in April, and the actor remained tight-lipped about the show's future. Keeping his cards close to his chest, he told us: "We'll just have to see what happens."
Abi Morgan said of the two-parter: "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."
Jane Featherstone, co-founder of production company Sister, and executive producer Lucy Dyke added: "It is a joy to reunite with Abi and our wonderful Split team for this two-parter for the BBC One and iPlayer. We have missed the Defoe family and their messy, complex lives so we couldn’t be more excited to send them to beautiful Barcelona for a glorious, romantic weekend."
Teasing the upcoming special, they added: "In this chapter, Abi explores the often terrifying prospect of facing new romance after divorce and promises a rollercoaster of emotions along the way. And welcoming the brilliant Toby Stephens to our ensemble, as lawyer Archie Moore, it’s safe to say, sparks are going to fly."
Meanwhile, 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."
The two-part special will air ahead of the forthcoming spin-off series The Split Up, which follows a family of lawyers dominating the high-stakes world of Manchester's divorce law circuit.
