THE SPLIT: PRODUCTION BEGINS ON THIRD AND FINAL SERIES OF BBC DRAMA

Joining the cast will be Lara Pulver, while Dee Koppang O’Leary begins as lead director. Further cast announcements include the return of Barry Atsma as Christie, Chukwudi Iwuji as Zander and Damien Molony as Tyler.

The highly anticipated series, set in the fast-paced, complex world of London’s high-end divorce circuit is created by Bafta and Emmy Award-winning writer Abi Morgan (River, Suffragette, The Hour) and Executive Produced by Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, Giri-Haji, Utopia), Lucy Dyke (The Split, Black Mirror, Ripper Street) and Lucy Richer (Small Axe, The Salisbury Poisonings, The A Word).

Alongside the returning three Defoe sisters (Nicola Walker, Annabel Scholey and Fiona Button), their formidable mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay) and Hannah’s husband Nathan (Stephen Mangan), the production today reveals the eagerly awaited return of Christie, played by Barry Atsma; the catalyst to the breakdown of Hannah and Nathan’s marriage in series two.

Also returning to The Split for its final series are Damien Molony (Tyler), Chukwudi Iwuji (Zander), Rudi Dharmalingham (James), Elizabeth Roberts (Liv Stern), Ian McElhinney (Prof Ronnie), Anna Chancellor (Melanie Aickman) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Glen Peters), reprising his role as the Vicar who married Rose and James in season one.

Abi Morgan says: “For every writer there are characters that stay with them, long after a show is over. Hannah Defoe and her family are just that, and it’s been a welcome balm after a difficult year globally, to reunite this brilliant cast.

"The Split has been building to this exhilarating final act for the Defoes as they navigate their way through the marital make up and break up, both personally and professionally, at Noble, Hale And Defoe. They say you can’t have new beginnings without endings, and I want to say a big thank you to the BBC and AMC, and the fans who have kept running by our side.”

Lucy Richer, Executive Producer for the BBC, says: “The Split is one of our most loved and most talked about drama series and we’re thrilled to be back in production with series three. As ever, Abi Morgan’s incredible writing sparkles with truth and honesty, wit and heartbreak. It is fantastic to be back with the Defoes, with Hannah and Nathan facing their biggest challenge yet - how to survive the break up of their marriage, and navigate their own divorce."