The announcement that a spin-off of the hit legal BBC drama The Split would begin shooting next month delighted fans.

However, recent reports indicate that production on The Split Up has now halted just weeks before filming was scheduled to start.

The Split, which starred Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan, aired for three series with the finale airing in 2022.

Nicola, Annabel Scholey and Fiona Button starred as the Defoe sisters, who all worked as lawyers representing divorcing couples.

The BBC announced earlier this year that they would return after ordering a spin-off series.

Nicola Walker nominated for an NTA for her role in the show (Credit: BBC)
The Split spin-off ‘postponed’

Deadline reported that the network has now postponed the series for “editorial reasons”.

An insider reportedly told them: “Producers needed more time to resolve creative issues.”

They added that “the BBC remains committed to the drama,” but noted that “a new shoot date has yet to be agreed”.

Fewer than 10 people reportedly started working on The Split Up when it became postponed, but casting was already underway.

ED! has contacted the BBC for comment on this story.

In 2022, The Split received a National Television Award nomination for Returning Drama. Meanwhile, Nicola Walker received a nomination for her Drama Performance.

When The Split Up was announced in February, its creator Ursula Rani Sarma expressed her excitement, saying: “To be able to place a contemporary British Asian family, helmed by brilliant women, at the heart of a primetime drama series is a dream come true for me as a writer who believes strongly in the importance of representation on our screens.”

The Split’s return

The cast of The Split will return to screens in a two-part special set in Barcelona ahead of the new spin-off.

The Defoe family attend a wedding on a vineyard in Catalonia.

Set across one sun soaked weekend and filmed in May, the spin-off promises to “encompass break-ups, reunions and plenty of romance”.

Although a release date for the special isn’t known, reports suggest it will air in 2025.