Suranne Jones: It’s ‘exciting’ to return as Doctor Foster

Actress Suranne Jones has said she “can’t wait to start filming” the third and final series of hit drama Doctor Foster.

Jones will reprise her multi-award-winning role as Gemma Foster opposite Bertie Carvel as Simon and Tom Taylor as Tom in the BBC drama.

Producers said series three will revisit Gemma, who is still a GP and living in the same house, on the brink of a fresh start as she has met someone new and is getting married.

As the wedding day draws closer, shadows from her past begin to re-emerge, threatening both her happiness and her reputation.

Series one, which saw Gemma discovering her husband Simon was having an affair, aired in 2015, and was followed by a second series in 2017, with nearly 10 million people watching the series finale.

Both series won National Television Awards and Jones won a best actress Bafta TV award in 2016.

Filming on the third series is due to begin later this spring in and around Hertfordshire, with Mike Bartlett returning as writer, creator and executive producer.

Jones said: “When I got the call to ask 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! It’s been an exciting time working with the brilliant Mike Bartlett again, and the team at Drama Republic on the scripts and now I can’t wait to start filming.”

Series one, which also starred Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer, and two of Doctor Foster are available to stream on BBC iPlayer, and the third series will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

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 hugely talented Drama Republic, 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.”