The Split (TV series)
The Split is a British television legal drama series, written and created by Abi Morgan, that first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 24 April 2018. The six-part series, commissioned in August 2016, follows the lives of the Defoe family, who all work in divorce law for the family firm, aside from eldest sister Hannah, who works for rival family law firm Noble & Hale and youngest daughter who is a child minder. The series co-stars Stephen Mangan, Fiona Button, Annabel Scholey and Barry Atsma.
Production for the first series began in July 2017 in London. On 13 January 2017, SundanceTV announced that it would be partnering with the BBC to produce the series. SundanceTV will thus hold exclusive rights for broadcast in the United States. Series 1 was released on DVD on 4 June 2018.
A second series was commissioned in May 2018 with production beginning in March 2019 Series 2 sees the return of the Defoe family at newly merged law firm Noble Hale Defoe, with most of the original cast confirmed. Donna Air and Ben Bailey Smith have been announced as joining the cast for the second series as high profile clients for the law firm and Damien Molony as the character Tyler Donaghue. The first episode of series 2 aired in the UK on BBC One on 11 February 2020 and in the United States on Sundance TV beginning on 15 May 2020. During filming Series 2, production visited Maidstone TV Studios to film a studio show segment.Cast
Main cast
- Nicola Walker as Hannah Stern, a divorce lawyer working for Noble & Hale
- Stephen Mangan as Nathan Stern, Hannah's husband, a barrister
- Fiona Button as Rose Defoe, Hannah's youngest sister.
- Annabel Scholey as Nina Defoe, Hannah's younger sister, a fellow divorce lawyer for Defoe's, the family practice
- Barry Atsma as Christie Carmichael, Hannah's former boyfriend who also works for Noble & Hale
- Stephen Tompkinson as Davey McKenzie, a millionaire divorcing his wife
- Meera Syal as Goldie McKenzie, Davey's wife and his company's secretary
- Anthony Head as Oscar Defoe, Hannah's long lost father
- Deborah Findlay as Ruth Defoe, Hannah's mother, the director of the family firm
- Rudi Dharmalingam as James Cutler, Rose’s fiancé, later husband
- Donna Air as Fi Hansen, a famous presenter divorcing her husband
- Ben Bailey Smith as Richie Hansen, Fi's husband
Supporting cast
- Chukwudi Iwuji as Alexander 'Zander' Hale, director of Noble & Hale
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Glen Peters, the vicar performing Rose and James' wedding ceremony
- Maggie O'Neill as Yvonne Duchy, Goldie's best friend, who is having an affair with her husband
- Josette Simon as Maya, Oscar Defoe's second partner
- Mathew Baynton as Rex Pope, a stand-up comedian
- Damien Molony as Tyler Donaghue, Zander's fiancé
- Elizabeth Roberts as Liv Stern, Hannah and Nathan's elder daughter
- Mollie Cowen as Tilly Stern, Hannah and Nathan's younger daughter
- Toby Oliver as Vinnie Stern, Hannah and Nathan's son
- Ellora Torchia as Maggie Lavelle, a paralegal at Noble & Hale
- Brenock O'Connor as Sasha, Liv Stern's boyfriend
- Ian McElhinney as Prof Ronnie, a friend of Hannah Stern's mother
Episodes