RETURN TO HIT DRAMA DOCTOR FOSTER, STARRING SURANNE JONES, SET TO BE BBC'S NEW YEAR'S DAY DRAMA LAUNCH
The third and final instalment of Doctor Foster is reportedly set to be BBC One's New Year's Day drama launch in 2027. A BFI screening of the drama will take place in early December. The BBC will confirm schedule details in due course.
The five-part series - created and written by Mike Bartlett, and made by Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day) in association with Fictional Company and TeamAkers Productions - will see Suranne Jones, Bertie Carvel and Tom Taylor reprise their roles as Gemma, Simon and Tom after almost a decade.
Announced this Summer, Slow Horses and Criminal Record star Dustin Demri-Burns joins the cast as Callum, Gemma’s new partner, with Adam James returning as Gemma’s neighbour Neil, and Thusitha Jayasundera reprising her role as Ros, Gemma’s friend and colleague, and Anna Madeley returning as Lucy.
New cast for series three also includes Rosalie Craig (Riot Women, Serpent Queen), Gracie Oddie-James (The Husbands, Grantchester), Lois Baglin (Bait, Surface Season 2), Karima McAdams (Hijack, Dune: Prophecy), Anjana Vasan (Demon 79, Wicked Little Letters), Michael Balogun (Top Boy, Sherwood), Christina Balmer (Mobland 2, House of Guinness), Justin Salinger (Hijack, Hanna) and Ash Tandon (Malpractice, Bodyguard).
Ten years ago, on discovering her husband Simon was having an affair, Gemma Foster enacted a masterful revenge. But the fallout was devastating when her 15-year-old son Tom disappeared. Now, in series three, Gemma is still a GP, still in the same house, but on the brink of a fresh start: she has met someone new and is getting married.
But as the wedding day draws closer, and friends and family gather, shadows from the past begin to re-emerge threatening both her happiness and her reputation. As Gemma fights to protect those she loves and expose whoever’s intent on hurting her, will she be able to put the past to bed, dispense justice, and claim the future she deserves, before it is too late?
Doctor Foster had the UK gripped when it aired in 2015 and 2017, with nearly 10 million people watching the finale of series two. It also achieved critical acclaim and National Television Awards for both series, with Suranne Jones winning a BAFTA for her role as Gemma Foster.
On returning to Doctor Foster, Suranne Jones says: “When I got the call to ask if I wanted to return as Gemma Foster, I knew the time was right. We needed space from the first two series, and we needed Tom - Gemma and Simon’s runaway son - to return as an adult with questions...
"For me, this time around it’s about accountability and questioning - ‘can we ever truly sever ties with our past and the damage or traumas that haunt us, so we can fully move forward?’ Gemma and Simon have so much to unpick! It’s been an exciting time working with the brilliant Mike Bartlett again, and the team at Drama Republic, on the scripts and now I can’t wait to start filming.”
Writer, creator and executive producer Mike Bartlett, says: “I always hoped that we’d get to tell the final part of Gemma’s story - which is about a woman seeking justice in an unfair world. That feels as relevant now as when Gemma first found a blonde hair on the scarf...
"It’s been a joy to team up once again with the hugely talented Drama Republic, the now very grown-up and brilliant Tom Taylor, the inimitable Bertie Carvel and of course, the incomparable Suranne Jones, to tell the final chapter of this story and revisit Parminster - where it turns out there’s still secrets, betrayals, vengeance and perhaps one last dinner party…”
Roanna Benn and Jude Liknaitzky, executive producers/co-CEO’s for Drama Republic, say: “We are so excited to be bringing the finale of Doctor Foster to the screen. Mike Bartlett has written thrilling, gripping, audacious scripts that see Gemma and Simon re-encounter one another ten years on and it is electrifying!!! We cannot wait to watch the phenomenal Suranne and Bertie together on screen once again. And to meet the grown-up Tom. It is honestly going to be an amazing ride!”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: "It’s a privilege to welcome Doctor Foster back to the BBC after almost a decade away. The extent to which the first two series gripped the nation is a credit to Mike’s writing, the talented team at Drama Republic and our magnificent cast – and now we’re ready do it one more time in this epic final chapter. Bring it on!"
Doctor Foster (5x60) is produced by Drama Republic, a Mediawan Group Company, in association with Fictional Company and TeamAkers Productions and is created and written by Mike Bartlett, who is also an executive producer.
