The Split is a major BBC female-led legal drama set in the world of divorce lawyers, which received high ratings and critical acclaim for the first series when it aired in 2018. It is created and written by award-winning writer Abi Morgan, directed by Paula Van Der Oest and Joss Agnew and produced by Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures for BBC One and co-produced with SundanceTV.

The drama is a multi-layered examination of modern marriage from within the fast-paced world of London’s high-end divorce circuit, exploring ‘the often complex realities that bind families together, and tear them apart’.

The Split Series 2 Synopsis

At the end of the first series, which averaged 5.7 million viewers , Hannah’s formerly rock-solid marriage was beginning to crack following the devastating revelation of Nathan’s (Stephen Mangan) affair. For the rest of the family, and Hannah, joy had turned to tragedy as estranged father Oscar (Anthony Head) passed away the night of Rose and James’ (Rudi Dharmalingam) wedding. Struggling with the grief of losing her father for the second time in her life and with Christie (Barry Atsma) having made his feelings for her clear, Hannah was torn between her past and the promise of a different future.

Now the Defoes are back, at newly merged law firm Noble Hale Defoe, and as former rivals now find themselves on the same side of the table, Hannah’s latest case is set to put NHD firmly on the map.

Locked into an aggressive NDA by her controlling husband Richie Hansen (Ben Bailey Smith) when she was young and naive, Fi Hansen (Donna Air), one half of the UK’s most powerful celebrity couples, now wants out of her marriage. Hiring Hannah to help prepare to leave her dangerously coercive and manipulative partner, their divorce is set to be all the things the press love: public and messy. As the curtain is pulled back from the glossy veneer of their meticulously constructed public image, the pain that lies behind Brand Hansen is slowly revealed and Hannah must invest more than just her billable hours in helping Fi reclaim her life.

Meanwhile, Rose and James return from their honeymoon with ambitions to start their own family and Nina teeters on the edge, as the consequences of her erratic behaviour finally catch up with her. With the merger now complete, Ruth forced out from her role as head of the family firm, must search for a new purpose in life. And, as Hannah fights one of the most public cases of her professional career, the fight to save her own marriage is a deep, intensely, private battle.

Conducting a passionate affair with Christie, Hannah feels trapped; struggling to forgive Nathan, whilst ridden with guilt about her own infidelity. Will she take a course which could result in the end of her marriage, or can she in fact have it all?

 Series 2 Episode Guides

Episode 1 11 February 2020 | Poll

Episode 2 18 February 2020 | Poll

Episode 3 25 February 2020 | Poll 

Episode 4 2 March 2020 | Poll

Episode 5 10 March 2020 | Poll

Episode 6 17 March 2020 | Poll

>>> Watch The Split Series 2 on BBC iplayer <<<

The Split Series 3 Synopsis

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.

Joining this formidable group is Lara Pulver (Sherlock) playing Kate, a leading child psychologist whose arrival adds a whole new layer of complexity to Morgan’s multi-layered examination of divorce and modern marriage. This farewell series, equal parts electrifying, witty and heartbreaking, continues to put the Defoe sisters and their matriarch at its heart; a group of powerful women working together to help their clients, their colleagues and each other as they continue to navigate the messiness of life.

After audiences were left reeling by the collapse of Hannah and Nathan’s marriage at the end of series two, we join them again 10 months on, following the two divorce lawyers as they negotiate their way through their own separation. With Dee Koppang O’Leary (Bridgerton, The Crown) boarding as lead director, Abi Morgan will conclude the trilogy with the most heartwarming and heartbreaking series to date, as we watch a divorce lawyer confronted with her own divorce. With Christie making a return combined with a shocking revelation, will Hannah and Nathan repair their broken marriage, or is The Split simply too deep to repair?

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.”