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Nicola Walker's return to TV confirmed after Unforgotten replacement announced

New episodes of her legal drama The Split are on their way

the split nicola
Eve Crosbie
TV & Film Writer
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Nicola Walker may not be returning for season five of Unforgotten, but fans of the actress will be pleased to hear that she will be making a comeback to screens very soon with a brand new season of her hit legal drama, The Split.

MORE: The Split third and final series: everything we know so far

It's been confirmed that the third and final series of the popular drama, which follows a high-flying family of lawyers, will premiere on BBC One in just a few weeks' time, on 4 April 2022 at 9pm.

WATCH: Did you watch season two of The Split?

Alongside the exciting announcement, some brand new images from the upcoming episodes have also been released. One shows Nicola's character Hannah enjoying a drink with her husband Nathan, played by Stephen Mangan, while another depicts her receiving what looks like an urgent phone call late at night.

MORE: 22 most exciting TV shows returning in 2022

MORE: Everything you need to know about The Split star Nicola Walker

As fans will recall, season two left on a huge cliffhanger after Nathan came to learn that his spouse had been having an affair with a colleague. The final moments saw Hannah crying on the stairs after discovering her husband had left the family home, leaving behind only his wedding ring in the hallway.

The Split s3

Nicola Walker will be reprising her role in the third and final season of the legal drama

While it seems from the first-look photos that the two are at least now civil, it's unclear whether they have patched things up or moved forward on different paths. As well as Nicola and Stephen, viewers can also expect to see Nina (Annabel Scholey), Rose (Fiona Button), Ruth (Deborah Findlay) and Christie (Barry Atsma) return for the drama's final chapter.

The Split nicola s3

The new episodes will reveal the aftermath of the cliffhanger season two finale

The exciting news comes after ITV bosses confirmed Nicola's replacement in detective drama Unforgotten following her decision to exit the series at the end of series four.

MORE: Eveything you need to know about Unforgotten series five: synopsis, airdate and more

Sinéad Keenan will be joining the cast, taking over from Nicola as DI Sunny Khan's (Sanjeev Bhaskar) partner. She will be playing the role of DCI Jessica 'Jessie' James.

The Being Human actress's role was announced on Twitter earlier this month. Sharing a snap of a season five clapper board alongside a picture of Sanjeev and Sinéad at a recent table read, series creator Chris Lang wrote: "Delighted to be able to finally tell you that the brilliant @SineadKeenan will be joining the gorgeous @TVSanjeev to play DCI Jessica 'Jessie' James to his DI Sunil' Sunny' Khan in #Unforgotten five. Shooting started...about an hour ago. How lucky are we."

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