'The Split' ending after three seasons: What to expect from final season of the BBC drama

The Split begins airing its final season tonight as Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan's characters try to find an amicable way of divorcing.

Walker plays divorce lawyer Hannah Stern in a top London firm that deals with the splits of the rich and famous, but as the third and final season of the BBC One drama begins, it's her own failing relationship that she's trying to navigate.

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Here's everything you need to know about the last series of The Split - including when you can watch it and what will happen.

When is The Split season 3 on TV?

The third and final season of The Split begins tonight (Monday) at 9pm on BBC One.

What will happen to Hannah and Nathan?

The divorce drama's central characters are Hannah and Nathan Stern, played by Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan, who were left at a crossroads in their relationship breakdown last series.

As a divorce lawyer to the rich and famous, Hannah is used to negotiating dividing up lives, but things are much more complicated when it involves her own relationship.

Last series she was stuck in a will-they-won't-they situation with Christie (Barry Atsma) who then moved back to the US, but now that she and Nathan have split, she must get used to his new partner Kate, played by Lara Pulver.

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Walker said: "Hannah’s got to the age where she’s way past believing in clichés like ‘having it all’. She’s worried about having it okay for her family and herself and for Nathan."

She added: "She knows that that doesn’t exist because of the people who come through her office door every day. What looks perfect on the outside, you scratch it and it’s all very complicated, irrespective of your economic bracket. Her job has taught her that and unfortunately her own life has taught her that.

"It’s not that Hannah’s become accepting of that, she’s getting up off the floor and thinking, okay, well how do you live with that? She navigates her way through it in a very grown-up and positive way. It’s very equal, the desire from both of them to make it work."

Mangan said: "I mean, after a 20-year marriage your lives are so intricately threaded together, to unpick all that is impossible. You have children together and it’s so complicated.

"As an actor you always want to play the things that you don’t want to happen to you in real life. Bring on as much emotional trauma, awkwardness and hellishness as you can throw at me!"

How will The Split end?

There are plenty of messy situations still to negotiate in series three - Hannah's sisters Nina and Rose have troubles of their own to work through.

Nina (Annabel Scholey) is getting to grips with balancing work, new motherhood and sobriety, while Rose (Fiona Button), while Rose is coming to terms with adoption if she wants to have children.

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Meanwhile, Christie finds himself unexpectedly back in London on business and Atsma said: "What I find really interesting is that Abi (Morgan, series creator) ended it… well, I won’t spoil it too much, but it’s still an ending where there’s room to fantasise what might come after that.

"Although we filmed two endings and even I’m not sure which one they are going to use! I’m curious to see what happens."

Walker added: "Endings are difficult. I think Abi has managed to create a really satisfying ending, and we don’t get that in drama very much anymore. How many shows have we all watched over the pandemic where you’re left unsatisfied in the last 15 minutes? That doesn’t happen with this show.

"Abi has taken great care of every single character and I feel by the end that you know they’re going to go on. In my head, they’re all getting up and going on with their lives when the credits roll."

The Split season 3 starts at 9pm on Monday, 4 April on BBC One.

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