Two years after the season 3 finale of The Split, we're heading to Barcelona for a two-part special


Nobody is perfect.
Even those with seemingly idyllic lives can make a mess of things. One such person is Hannah, the character so brilliantly played by Nicola Walker in writer-creator Abi Morgan’s hit drama The Split.
On the surface, Hannah may not have a lot in common with Gillian in Last Tango in Halifax, for which Walker was twice Bafta-nominated, but they are two sides of the same coin – women full of mistakes and flaws who make bad decisions. In less capable hands, we’d probably find them annoying, but the actress gives them warmth and heart, which makes viewers feel empathy instead.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“What Abi has created is this woman who, if you could imagine for example, seeing a profile of Hannah in a legal magazine or something, her life would look brilliant,” says Nicola Walker, who plays her. “She would look totally in control, hugely successful, edging on perfection to someone leafing through a magazine.
“And then Abi just peels that back. She’s a great leveller of her characters. We all know the truth is always far more complicated and we never know what goes on behind closed doors in real life, but in Abi’s world you do get to find out what’s really going on.”
It was Hannah’s affair with Christie, a colleague and old flame, that brought an end to her marriage to the solid and dependable Nathan (Stephen Mangan). The drama’s second season saw them trying to navigate a future apart, with any hopes of a reconciliation seemingly dashed by the pregnancy of his girlfriend.
We were told that those episodes marked the end of the entertaining series about the Defoes, a family of legal eagles specialising in divorce, but a couple of years on, we’re about to catch up with them again, this time for a two-parter in Spain, where they’re gathering for a lavish wedding.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“In a world of brutal break ups and tantalising make ups, the Defoe family are invited to a destination wedding of their own, promising all that audiences have grown to love about The Split,” claims Morgan. “Problematic prenups, scandalous wedding crashers and low flying marriage proposals, as romcom meets gone wrong in a chaotic and riotous weekend that guarantees to crack open the heart, before the last of the guests have gone home.”
Executive producers Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke add: “It is a joy to reunite with Abi and our wonderful Split team for this two-parter. We have missed the Defoe family and their messy, complex lives so we couldn’t be more excited to send them to beautiful Barcelona for a glorious, romantic weekend.
“In this chapter, Abi explores the often terrifying prospect of facing new romance after divorce and promises a rollercoaster of emotions along the way. And welcoming the brilliant Toby Stephens to our ensemble, as lawyer Archie Moore, it’s safe to say, sparks are going to fly.”
Yes, Stephens’ character is due to ruffle a few feathers – proving in the process that when it comes to Hannah and her sisters, perfection is always just out of reach.