Doctor Foster S3: BBC One FINALLY confirms that Suranne Jones revenge thriller will return one final time
The actress will be back as the ultimate woman scorned...
Doctor Foster fans have every reason to be punching the air with glee right now, as the BBC One has finally confirmed that the thriller will be back in 2026 for a series 3. The news is bittersweet, though. It will be the final ever series.
Suranne Jones will be back as the ultimate woman scorned in the upcoming series 3, which is returning after nine years off screen. This comes just weeks after the Beeb confirmed the long-awaited return of Line of Duty with a series 7.
Fans of the original two series – which aired in 2015 and 2017 – will know that the drama was a HUGE hit. Showcasing the best of the lead cast, including Suranne, Bertie Carvel, Jodie Comer, Victoria Hamilton, and Adam James.
Now, after nine years of absence, Suranne and her co-stars are set to start filming a much-anticipated series 3 of Doctor Foster. Here’s everything we know so far.
Is there a series 3 of Doctor Foster on BBC One?
The BBC has now officially announced that Doctor Foster will be returning for a third and final series. Created and written by Mike Bartlett, the new episodes will see Vigil star Suranne Jones return as the iconic leading lady Dr Gemma Foster.
It’s been nine long years since we last saw the character on screen. Since then, fans have never stopped hoping for more episodes. Well, now, after years of speculation and wishful thinking, we can now rejoice in the news it’s coming back.
Talking about Doctor Foster series 3, writer, creator and executive producer Mike Bartlett said: “I always hoped that we’d get to tell the final part of Gemma’s story – which is about a woman seeking justice in an unfair world. That feels as relevant now as when Gemma first found a blonde hair on the scarf.
“It’s been a joy to team up once again with the […] now very grown-up and brilliant Tom Taylor, the inimitable Bertie Carvel and of course, the incomparable Suranne Jones, to tell the final chapter of this story and revisit Parminster – where it turns out there’s still secrets, betrayals, vengeance and perhaps one last dinner party…”
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What the plot?
The BBC One drama introduced GP Gemma Foster, who seemed to have it all. Until she found out her husband Simon was cheating on her. In fact, he had a mistress who was pregnant with his child.
The subsequent drama focused on Gemma’s heartbreak turned anger, as she took revenge on her cheating husband, played by Bertie Carvel.
The second series picked up a few years later. Simon was then living with his new wife Kate, played by Jodie Comer. But it wasn’t domestic bliss at all. Series 2 ended with Simon and Gemma’s son Tom, played by Tom Taylor, running away from his warring parents. And nobody could blame him.
A synopsis for the upcoming series 3 says: “Ten years ago, on discovering her husband Simon was having an affair, Gemma Foster enacted a masterful revenge. But the fallout was devastating when her 15-year-old son Tom disappeared. Now, in series three, Gemma is still a GP, still in the same house, but on the brink of a fresh start…
“She has met someone new and is getting married. But as the wedding day draws closer, and friends and family gather, shadows from the past begin to re-emerge threatening both her happiness and her reputation. As Gemma fights to protect those she loves and expose whoever’s intent on hurting her, will she be able to put the past to bed, dispense justice, and claim the future she deserves, before it is too late?”
How can I watch Doctor Foster?
The first two series of Doctor Foster are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Series 1 landed back in 2015, with season 2 following in 2017. Both became huge hits, with everyone wandering what on earth revenge-seeking missile Gemma would do to her cheating estranged husband next. Dare we say, we actually started feeling sorry for Simon as Gemma’s behaviour became more and more unhinged.
A spin-off series called Life aired on the BBC in 2020, following Doctor Foster character Anna Baker, played by Victoria Hamilton. She was one of Gemma’s neighbours, and also had a lying cheating husband. In the spin-off, she’d reinvented herself as Belle Stone.
Series 1 and 2 were both five episodes.
What cast will be returning in Doctor Foster series 3?
Doctor Foster would not be the same without Suranne Jones as the leading character, so it’s no surprise she’ll be back. Talking about her return, TV fave Suranne said: “When I got the call asking if I wanted to return as Gemma Foster, I knew the time was right. We needed space from the first two series, and we needed Tom – Gemma and Simon’s runaway son – to return as an adult with questions.
“For me, this time around it’s about accountability and questioning. Can we ever truly sever ties with our past and the damage or traumas that haunt us, so we can fully move forward? Gemma and Simon have so much to unpick!”
Bertie Carvel and Tom Taylor will also return as Gemma’s ex-husband Simon and their son Tom. Although Tom was a teenager in the last season, he’s an adult now, and “returns to the fractious family home as an adult”.
However, the BBC has not confirmed if Jodie Comer will be back, so we think not. The broadcaster has not yet revealed who will play Gemma’s new fiancé, or any of the other ensemble supporting cast.
How many episodes will it be?
Doctor Foster series 3 will be a five-part run of 60 minute episodes.
This follows the same format as series 1 and 2.
When will it be released?
The series will begin filming later this Spring. It will potentially air at the end of 2026 or early 2027.
Filming will take place in and around Hertfordshire.
Doctor Foster series 3 is a ‘thrilling, gripping, and audacious script’
Roanna Benn and Jude Liknaitzky, executive producers/co-CEO’s for Drama Republic, enthused: “We are so excited to be bringing the finale of Doctor Foster to the screen.
“Mike Bartlett has written thrilling, gripping, audacious scripts that see Gemma and Simon re-encounter one another 10 years on and it is electrifying!!! We cannot wait to watch the phenomenal Suranne and Bertie together on screen once again. And to meet the grown-up Tom. It is honestly going to be an amazing ride!”
Read more: First look as Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie return in Vigil series 3, and their most high-stakes mission yet
