TV's Doctor Foster to return for third and final series

Actress Suranne Jones has said she "can't wait to start filming" the third and final series of Doctor Foster.

The BBC has confirmed the popular drama will return for five new episodes, nine years after the second series aired.

Jones will reprise her role as Gemma Foster, who is still a GP and living in the same house, and is on the brink of a fresh start as she prepares to get married.

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

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!"

Bertie Carvel will return to play Simon, while Tom Taylor will appear as Tom in the BBC drama.

The first series of Doctor Foster saw Gemma, a doctor in the fictional town of Parminster, discover her husband Simon was having an affair.

It aired in 2015, and was followed by a second series in 2017, with nearly 10 million people watching the finale.

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

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

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."

He said there would be "secrets, betrayals, vengeance and perhaps one last dinner party", referring to a famous scene from series two.

A broadcast date for the final series will be announced in due course.