DOCTOR FOSTER: BBC DRAMA SET TO RETURN FOR THIRD SERIES WITH SURANNE JONES, EIGHT YEARS AFTER SERIES TWO FINALE

Huge BBC drama Doctor Foster is reportedly returning to screens, with The Sun newspaper reporting cameras will roll on the third series next year - eight years after the series two finale.

The BBC are yet to formally announce the commission, however The Sun reports that Suranne Jones will return in the lead role. A source told the newspaper: "There was always a sense of unfinished business with Doctor Foster, as the storyline could easily roll on and on. It went out on a massive high, too, with around eight million tuning in every week to watch the drama unfold between the three lead characters."

The synopsis for the first series of Doctor Foster reads: "Doctor Jenny Foster is a woman in control: she is a trusted GP, the heart of her village, a woman people can trust.  But Doctor Foster’s life is about to explode. When she suspects her husband has been having an affair, Doctor Foster is determined to find out the truth...

"She throws herself into an investigation that is going to propel her, her family, and even some of her patients, into chaos.  Bit by bit, Doctor Foster uncovers secrets that shock her to the core. Now she has to choose how to react. One thing is certain – she is going to behave in ways she could never have imagined."

Meanwhile, the BBC has announced the further cast joining Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie for the return of hit drama Vigil, as the production for the third series is now underway in Svalbard and Scotland. The six-part series is made by World Productions (Until I Kill You, Showtrial, Line of Duty), part of ITV Studios, for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

As previously announced, Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie return as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre. Their new case takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been shot dead.

Amy and Kirsten will need to catch the killer and diffuse a potential international confrontation, driven by a land-grab for energy and resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.

Gary Lewis (Franklin, A Thousand Blows) returns to reprise his role as Detective Superintendent Robertson, who has appeared across all series of Vigil so far. Dominic Mafham (Little Disasters, Killing Eve) also returns as Sir Ian Downing and Orla Russell (Deadwater Fell, Outlander) returns as Poppy, Amy and Kirsten’s daughter.

The new cast for the third series includes Jeppe Beck Laursen (The Last, The Trip), Tornike Gogrichiani (Extraction 2, Drops of God), Steven Miller (Dept. Q, Shetland), Benjamin Wainwright (Maigret, Belgravia: The Next Chapter), Artur Zai Barrera (The Old Man, Lucky), Jordan Duvigneau (Mood, Stolen Girl), Kaisa Hammarlund (Hijack, Grace), Adam Fidusiewicz (FBI International, A Gentleman in Moscow).

Plus Naomi Yang (Under Salt Marsh, Wolfe), Eric Godon (In Bruges, Anna), Conor Berry (Karen Pirie, Schemers), Amy Manson (Rebus, Bodies), Jason Tobin (A Thousand Blows, The Balled of a Small Player), Steven Cree (All of You, Heads of State), Killian Coyle (Shetland, Endeavour) Derek Riddell (Industry, Happy Valley), Alma Prelec (Secret Service, Fifteen Love) Dawn Sievewright (Undertow, Shetland) and Shereen Cutkelvin (Summerwater, Crime).

Premiering in 2021, when Silva was enlisted to solve a murder on a navy submarine in Scottish waters, Vigil is one of the UK's most successful dramas this decade. It was nominated for Best Drama Series at the 2022 BAFTA Television Awards, and went on to win the International Emmy for Best Drama Series. Series two, which aired in 2023 and focused on a deadly drone attack, launched to nearly nine million viewers and was in the BBC's top three most watched dramas of the year.

Writer Tom Edge says: “I'm grateful to the BBC and World Productions for backing the ambition of a story that takes Vigil to the Arctic. This series grapples with the issues that will define tomorrow's world: melting ice caps, conflict over resources, energy wars, and lives put at risk in pursuit of peace and profits.”

Jake Lushington, executive producer for World Productions, says: “We are thrilled to be kicking off filming series three of Vigil with Suranne and Rose in the epic arctic landscapes of Svalbard and welcome our most multinational cast to date, as well as featuring new and established Scottish talent.”

Vigil (6x60’) series three will be made by World Productions in association with ITV Studios for the BBC.