BBC One’s ‘The Split’ Renewed For Series 2

Set in the fast-paced, messy 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, produced by Sister Pictures – the award-winning makers of Chernobyl – for BBC One.

At the end of the first series, which averaged 5.7 million viewers, Hannah Stern’s (Nicola Walker) formerly rock-solid marriage was beginning to crack following the devastating revelation of Nathan’s (Stephen Mangan) affair.

For the sisters, joy turned to tragedy when their estranged father Oscar (Anthony Head) passed away the night of Rose’s (Fiona Button) wedding to James (Rudi Dharmalingam). 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.

In series two, Hannah faces relationship problems of her own. Although her marriage to Nathan seems to be back on track, she can’t forgive Nathan for his past indiscretions, and is continuing her relationship with Christie in secret. Will Hannah take a course which could result in the end of her marriage, or can she in fact have it all?

While pressure mounts in her personal life, at work the newly merged firm Noble Hale Defoe has brought former rivals together on the same side of the table. (Previously Ruth headed up Defoe’s with her daughters, Hannah had joined rival law firm Noble & Hale).

When Hannah meets a new client, TV presenter Fi Hansen (Donna Air), who needs help escaping her marriage to music producer Richie Hansen (Ben Bailey Smith), it looks like Hannah has found the explosive case which could put NHD firmly on the map.

One half of the UK’s most powerful celebrity couples, Fi was locked into an aggressive NDA by her husband when she was young and naive. Fi now wants out of her marriage, and hires Hannah to help her leave her dangerously coercive and manipulative partner. But their divorce is set to be all the things the press love – public and messy.

As the glossy veneer of the couple’s meticulously constructed public image is peeled away, and the pain that lies behind brand Hansen is slowly revealed, 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.

Created and written by Abi Morgan, The Split is produced by Sister Pictures for BBC One, co-produced with SundanceTV, and was re-commissioned by Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, and Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content. Series Two is executive produced by Sister Pictures Founder Jane Featherstone (Broadchurch, Humans, River), writer and creator Abi Morgan (River, Suffragette, The Hour), Lucy Dyke (Black Mirror, Ripper Street) and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Paula van der Oest directed episodes one to three, Joss Agnew directed Episodes four to six, with Natasha Romaniuk producing.