L-R (Top) Ritu Arya (Image: Chelsea Gehr), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Image: John Rogers), Aysha Kala (Image: Ori Jones), Arian Nik (Image: David Reiss), Shalini Peiris (Image: Samuel Black), and Danny Ashok (Image: Harry Livingstone). (Bottom) Dimitri Leonidas (Image: David Reiss), Tom Forbes (Image: Ruth Crafer), Sindhi Vee (Image: Ruth Crafer), Mawaan Rizwan (Image: YellowBelly), Lenny Henry (Image: Jake Turney), and Jane Horrocks (Image: TBCPNG).
Filming is now underway in Manchester for ‘The Split Up’, a brand new six-part BBC legal drama that brings a fresh family of lawyers into the world first created by Abi Morgan. The series stars Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy) and Sanjeev Bhaskar (Unforgotten), leading a stellar ensemble of British South Asian talent.
The new series, written and created by Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother, Delicious), is based on Abi Morgan’s acclaimed series The Split, produced once again by SISTER in association with Little Chick.
Joining Arya and Bhaskar are Aysha Kala (Virdee), Arian Nik (Film Club), Danny Ashok (Dinosaur), Dimitri Leonidas (Those About To Die), Mawaan Rizwan (Juice), Sindhu Vee (Matilda the Musical), Shalini Peiris (The White Lotus), and Tom Forbes (Queenie). The drama also welcomes standout guest stars Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds) and Jane Horrocks (Bloods).
Set in Manchester’s high-stakes world of elite divorce law, ‘The Split Up’ centres on Kishan Law, a powerhouse British South Asian family firm representing the city’s wealthy and powerful. At its heart is Aria Kishan (Ritu Arya), a rising star groomed to take over from her father Dhruv (Sanjeev Bhaskar). But following the death of her mother, Dhruv begins to question whether Aria is ready, or even wants, to lead alone.
As Aria plans her wedding to long-term partner Neal (Danny Ashok), her personal life collides with the professional when a former secret flame (Dimitri Leonidas) returns to Manchester. Alongside her siblings Maya (Aysha Kala) and Kav (Arian Nik), Aria faces both legal and emotional “splits” that force her to ask the hardest question of all — who should you live your life for?
Ursula Rani Sarma, creator and lead writer, said:
“Having admired The Split and Abi Morgan for years, I was honoured to be asked to bring The Split Up to life. As a writer passionate about representation, it’s a dream come true to place a contemporary British South Asian family centre stage. Diversity deepens our understanding, enriches our stories, and reflects the true fabric of our society. It’s thrilling to watch our amazing cast led by Ritu and Sanjeev bring the Kishan family to life. I can’t wait for audiences to meet them and to witness the drama as it unfolds.”
Abi Morgan added:
“The chance to take all that was loved about The Split and use it to inspire the next generation of British South Asian talent, to create a new family of dynamic lawyers spilling over with all the messiness of life, both personally and professionally, has been a brilliant challenge, beautifully realised by lead writer Ursula Rani Sarma. I hope audiences will take it to their hearts.”
Jane Featherstone, co-founder of SISTER and executive producer, commented:
“Working with Abi Morgan on The Split has been one of the favourite experiences of my career so I am totally thrilled to now work with the supremely talented Ursula Rani Sarma on The Split Up, with a new story and a brand-new set of characters rich with emotion and wit. We have a remarkable cast led by the brilliant Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar. We’re so proud to be working once again with the BBC on a series that captures the messy, complicated realities of love, family and ambition – this time in Manchester, and we hope audiences will fall for the Kishans, and their power suits, as much as we have.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said:
“We’re thrilled to announce this outstanding cast for The Split Up led by Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Abi Morgan’sThe Split is one of our most loved dramas and in The Split UpUrsula Rani Sarma has superbly created a new family of Manchester lawyers whose professional and personal lives will keep viewers hooked.”
Filming coincides with the BBC’s 60th anniversary celebrations of South Asian programming, marking six decades of British South Asian storytelling and talent on and off screen.
‘The Split Up’ (6×60) is produced by SISTER in association with Little Chick for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Executive producers include Abi Morgan, Jane Featherstone (Black Doves, Coldwater), Bryony Arnold (Code of Silence, Peaky Blinders), Ursula Rani Sarma and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC, with Shamim Sarif as co-executive producer. Additional episodes are written by Sumerah Srivastav (Missing You), Kaamil Shah (Count Abdulla) and Sonali Bhattacharyya (Chasing Hares – Young Vic/Theatre Uncut). The series is directed by Shamim Sarif (YOU) and Khurrum M Sultan (Vera), with Natasha Romaniuk (Outrageous) producing and Kasheina Vencatasawmy (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) as associate producer. BBC Studios will handle global sales.
‘The Split Up’ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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