POPULAR TV SERIES TO RETURN TO BBC AS MAJOR CAST CHANGES ARE ANNOUNCED
It’s a good day to be fan of Hope Street, with the much-loved BBC drama set to return for a fourth series.
The BBC One serial, which has proven incredibly popular with viewers in the UK, the US and beyond, centres on the police department and residents of fictional Northern Irish town Port Devine.
The first series centred on the arrival of the Leila Hussain (Amara Karan), whose presence got tongues wagging in the sleepy little town, while the second saw new detective Al Quinn (Stephen Hagan) join the police force, causing quite the stir.
The third series, which Metro.co.uk deemed its best to date, is currently airing Friday afternoons on BBC One, with Jo Lipton’s (Karan Hassan) arrival setting the cat among the pigeons – not to mention PC Callum McCarthy’s (Niall Wright) heart racing!
With it having been quite some time since series three hit iPlayer, fans had been awaiting news of the show’s fate, desperately hoping for another series and I am pleased to confirm that there will in fact be more Port Devine drama, with a fourth season of eight episodes having been commissioned.
The upcoming series, which is already filming in Donaghadee, will be Hope Street’s most different to date, with Port Devine’s police department moving to a new headquarters.
What’s more, there’s a new Inspector in town!
Police Inspector Eve Dunlop, played by Derry Girls’ Tara Lynne O’Neill, will be taking charge at the station. Eve left Port Devine many years ago but has now returned with her family to build bridges and investigate a mysterious disappearance.
‘I am absolutely delighted to be joining Hope Street and cannot wait to work by the sea,’ said Tara Lynne. ‘Port Devine watch out!’
In addition to Tara Lynne, Ted Lasso star Marcus Onilude has also joined the cast.
In terms of returning faces, everyone’s favourite police constable Callum will be staging a comeback, with actor Niall Wright reprising his role, which will no doubt come as a relief to fans given the ambiguity about the character’s future at the end of the the previous series.
Phew!
Kerri Quinn, who plays Marlene Pettigrew, is also returning, as are Aaron McCusker (Clint Dunwoody), Niamh McGrady (Nicole Devine), Finnian Garbutt (Ryan Power), Des McAleer (Barry Pettigrew), Rachel Tucker (Siobhan O’Hare) and Karen Hassan (Jo Lipton).
Other new additions to the Hope Street cast will be announced soon.
Discussing Hope Street’s impending return, Eddie Doyle – Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland – said: ‘It’s great to be back in Donaghadee, filming a fourth series of Hope Street and this time round we are welcoming a new family to Port Devine.
‘I think Hope Street captures the humour and warmth of the people here and I’m really looking forward to Tara-Lynne O’Neill, along with some other new faces, joining the cast.
‘We are grateful for the continued support of BBC Daytime, Northern Ireland Screen and BritBox International which makes this all possible.”
Helen Munson, Commissioning Editor, BBC Daytime, added: ‘I’m thrilled that we’ll be bringing the beautiful backdrop of Northern Ireland back for another series of Hope Street. Fans of the series will be delighted to see well-loved characters returning along with some new faces. With a brilliant mix of drama and crime solving, it’s all going on in Port Devine!”
Jess O’Riordan, Commissioning Executive, BritBox International, says: ‘We’re delighted to be working with BBC and Long Story again on a fourth instalment of Hope Street.
‘BritBox fans of the show will be thrilled to return to stunning Port Devine for more crime solving and gripping storytelling set against the backdrop of that beautiful scenery we’ve all come to know and love.’
Hope Street airs Fridays at 1:45pm on BBC One, or stream the complete series one to three on BBC iPlayer now.
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2024-04-25T12:04:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd