ABI MORGAN OBE MAKES DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FOR BBC ONE AND BBC AMERICA’S
THE SPLIT, WHICH SHE ALSO PENNED
FIRST LOOK IMAGERY REVEALED FOR THIRD AND FINAL SERIES
First look and Abi Morgan directing photography is available to download HERE
BBC One, BBC America and SISTER are thrilled to announce that BAFTA and EMMY award winning writer Abi Morgan OBE (River, Suffragette, The Hour) will make her directorial debut for the third and final series of much-loved The Split. In addition, a selection of revealing first-look images have been released ahead of the show’s launch in 2022.
As one of the most formidable stage and screen writers working today, award-winning Abi Morgan is best known for her work including, River, The Hour, Suffragette, Shame, Sex Traffic and The Iron Lady. And now, for the first time in her career, having created and written all three series of The Split, Morgan has stepped behind the camera. Directing one of the five episodes of the highly anticipated final series in the trilogy, Morgan has truly been able to bring her vision to life.
On her directorial debut, Abi Morgan says “So much of a writer’s life is solitary that it has been a complete joy to direct and to finally get to work with the brilliant cast and crew and be part of the magic that happens between first read through and final edit that I normally don’t get to see. Terrifying as I have worked with some truly great directors in my time, but it was a pleasure to join The Split directorial team helmed by Dee Koppang O’Leary. Having tried it I hope it won’t be my last time”.
Executive Producers 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) have returned for the third and final series. Dee Koppang O’Leary (Bridgerton, The Crown) boards as lead director with the much-loved cast including Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey, Fiona Button, Deborah Findlay, Damien Molony and Chukwudi Iwuji all set to reprise their roles.
Sister Co-Founder Jane Featherstone and Executive Producer Lucy Dyke add, “It is the perfect ending to the story that Abi should direct this wonderful show she created and nurtured over three series. For us and for the whole cast it has been a joy and privilege to work alongside her on set and watch her bring her vision to life. We are so thrilled that she decided to take this step in her career with us and make her directorial debut on The Split. It will come as no surprise that she is a naturally gifted director”.
Set in the fast-paced, complex world of London’s high-end divorce circuit, The Split is an authentic, multi-layered, witty examination of modern marriage and the legacy of divorce. Following the messy lives of the three Defoe sisters, Hannah (Nicola Walker), Nina (Annabel Scholey) and Rose (Fiona Button) and their formidable mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay), Abi Morgan is set to conclude the trilogy with the most dramatic and heart-breaking series to date as we watch a divorce lawyer confronted by her very own divorce.
Adding fuel to the fire, the catalyst to the breakdown of Hannah and Nathan’s marriage, Christie (Barry Atsma), will also return to the final series, which sees Hannah and Nathan’s formerly rock-solid marriage unravel as they try to come to an amicable separation agreement.
As Hannah and Nathan begin to divide up their twenty years together, Hannah faces what she is about to lose and a shocking revelation dramatically changes the stakes. As the battlelines are redrawn, we wonder if their dream of achieving the “good divorce” is even possible. Will they find a path through the wreckage, or is The Split simply too deep to repair?
Created, written and co-directed by Abi Morgan, The Split is produced by SISTER for BBC One, co-produced with Little Chick and AMC Networks, and was re-commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer BBC and Kristin Jones, EVP of international programming, AMC Networks. Series Three is executive produced by SISTER Co- Founder Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, Giri-Haji, Utopia), writer and creator Abi Morgan (River, Suffragette, The Hour), Lucy Dyke (Black Mirror, Ripper Street) and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Dee Koppang O’Leary (Bridgerton, The Crown) boards as the lead director.
The second series, which averaged over 6 million viewers and over 19 million streams, became the third most watched drama series on BBC iPlayer in 2020*.
BBC Studios will distribute series three in addition to the previous two series internationally, both of which have already been sold to over 179 territories worldwide.
In the U.S., The Split, Series 3 will air on BBC America and be available to stream on AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now, which also has the first two seasons available now to watch anytime.
*does not include continuing drama titles
About The Split
Created and written by Abi Morgan, The Split is produced by SISTER for BBC One, co-produced with Little Chick and BBC America, and was re-commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer BBC and Kristin Jones, EVP of international programming, AMC Networks. Series Three is executive produced by SISTER Co- Founder Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, Giri-Haji, Utopia), writer and creator Abi Morgan (River, Suffragette, The Hour), Lucy Dyke (Black Mirror, Ripper Street) and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Dee Koppang O’Leary (Bridgerton, The Crown) boards as the lead director with Sumrah Mohammed and Emma Genders producing. Casting continues with filming due to start in 2021.
The Split Series one and two are available on BBC iPlayer to stream now.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions, and programs and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programs made by the business are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear, Doctor Who and Bluey. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2,500 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Amazon and China Mobile, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment and international distribution for program titles. To the BBC, BBC Studios contributes both cash dividends and funds for program-making, supporting the license fee and enhancing programs for UK audiences.
In the Americas, BBC Studios – with team members across the region – manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) – home of original series Killing Eve and global brands Seven Worlds: One Planet, Doctor Who, and Top Gear – and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as a strategic partnership in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel and BBC First. The company also operates a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation, as well as a franchise management business. In addition, BBC Studios operates a major production unit in Los Angeles responsible for the highly-rated, Emmy®-winning Dancing with the Stars, the multi-award-winning Life Below Zero, and the popular reboot of the classic quiz show Weakest Link. In Brazil, through a production partnership with Endemol Shine, local production Dancing Brasil has become a breakout hit. In addition, the company has recently launched BBC SELECT in the U.S. and Canada, an ad-free, digital streaming channel offering all-new documentaries across culture, politics and ideas, on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app.
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About BBC America
BBC AMERICA (BBCA) is a hub of innovative, culturally contagious programming including the Peabody Award-winning series Killing Eve starring Golden Globe® and SAG® Award-winner Sandra Oh and Emmy® Award-winner Jodie Comer. The network is the definitive television home and co-producer of the most iconic natural history series including Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Frozen Planet II and upcoming Dynasties II. BBCA transforms every Saturday into Wonderstruck, a weekly 24-hour destination for wildlife and wonder. A joint venture between AMC Networks and BBC Studios (the commercial arm of the BBC), BBCA’s influential series such as Doctor Who, Orphan Black, and Luther have attracted critical acclaim and earned Emmy® Awards, Golden Globes®, Peabody Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, NAACP Image Awards, TCA Awards and more. New programming coming soon includes The Graham Norton Show, The Split, Doctor Who, Dynasties, and more. BBC AMERICA is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. Find out more by visiting press.amcnetworks.com.