Acclaimed BBC legal drama returning to screens two years on from cliffhanger finale

THE BBC has shared an update on a fan favourite legal drama which is set to return to screens for the first time in two years.

The third and final season of The Split aired in 2022, sending fans into meltdown.

Now a new two-part special has been teased which will see the Defoe family come back for more theatrics.

The series followed the lives of three sisters in and out of the courtroom as they represented clients going through divorces and also dealt with their own private heartbreak.

Viewers spent season three wondering if Hannah would be able to reconcile with husband Nathan after they faced a painful split when they both committed infidelities.

The pair had been married for 20 years and seemed to be one of the few rock solid couples in The Split until their marriage fell apart in the last series.

Now fans will be able to see what became of the oldest Defoe daughter in the wake of her own divorce.

The show's director has revealed that the family will be swapping London for Barcelona in the new episodes.

The fresh installment will follow Hannah (Nicola Walker), Nina (Annabel Scholey), Rose (Fiona Button) and their formidable mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay) to a destination wedding in a Catalonia vineyard.

Watching a loved up couple get hitched will inevitably remind Hannah of her own failed marriage.

She will have to decide whether she feels ready to put the past behind her and take the chance to embark on a new romance as celebrations unfold around her.

Show writer Abi Morgan spoke about the upcoming two-parter, saying: "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.

"Problematic prenups, scandalous wedding crashers, and low flying marriage proposals, as rom com 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."

Director Lindsay Salt added: "We know The Split’s millions of fans found it hard to break up with the Defoes, so before we delve into the heady world of The Split Up we couldn’t resist an extra treat in the form of these exquisite, sun-drenched specials from the wonderful Abi Morgan."

The special is currently under production and show bosses have said fans will be able to watch it on BBC One and iPlayer later this year.

Meanwhile, a spin-off series set in Manchester called The Split Up is also being filmed and will be broadcast sometime after the special.