EXCLUSIVE: BBC plans to expand Abi Morgan‘s divorce law series The Split are on hold.
Sources tell Deadline that preparations to shoot spin-off series, The Split Up, in Manchester this October have been paused indefinitely.
A BBC insider said there were editorial reasons for The Split Up being stood down, but they were not specific about why producers needed more time to resolve creative issues.
The BBC remains committed to the drama, which is produced by Sister‘s northern arm and Morgan’s Little Chick Productions. A new shoot date has yet to be agreed.
Fewer than 10 people were working on The Split Up when it was postponed, though it is understood that others had turned down other projects to commit to the show in October. Casting was well underway.
The Split Up was created by Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother, Delicious) and chronicles Kishan Law, an elite British-Asian divorce firm in Manchester that is thrown into turmoil by a family secret.
There are hopes that the show can help address a deficit in authentic British Asian screen stories after rioting in the UK last month raised concerns that the community had been failed by the TV industry.
When The Split Up was announced in February, Sarma said: “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 Up was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama. Executive producers are Lucy Dyke, Jane Featherstone, Morgan, Sarma, and Lucy Richer. Sumrah Mohammed was named as the producer. International distribution is being handled by BBC Studios.
The Split, which aired on Sundance TV and BBC America in the U.S., ran for three seasons and was one of the BBC’s most popular new dramas of recent years, selling to nearly 120 territories.
It will return for a two-part special, set in Barcelona. Nicola Walker returns as divorce attorney Hannah Stern, while Toby Stephens is joining the cast. Creator Morgan wrote Netflix’s Benedict Cumberbatch series Eric and Oscar-winner The Iron Lady.