'Can we ever truly sever ties with our past?' - Suranne Jones teases unfinished business as Doctor Foster returns for a final series

'There’s still secrets, betrayals, vengeance and perhaps one last dinner party…' - the BBC confirm Doctor Foster will return more than 10 years since its last series

By Jack Slater

published 25 February 2026

in News

Suranne Jones at Doctor Foster — (Image credit: BBC/Drama Republic)

The BBC have confirmed that Doctor Foster will return for a third and final series, more than 10 years after airing the second series.

The show will return with five episodes, created and written by Mike Bartlett, who also wrote the first two seasons. Suranne Jones will return as the spurned Gemma Foster, and Bertie Carvel and Tom Taylor will return as her husband and son respectively.

Filming will begin later this spring with no confirmed release date as of yet, but the BBC have provided a synopsis of what fans can expect - and it’s filled with the reckoning of traumas from the past.

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The synopsis reads, 'Ten years ago, on discovering her husband Simon was having an affair, Gemma Foster enacted a masterful revenge. But the fallout was devastating when her 15-year-old son Tom disappeared.

'Now, in series three, Gemma is still a GP, still in the same house, but on the brink of a fresh start: she has met someone new and is getting married.

'But as the wedding day draws closer, and friends and family gather, shadows from the past begin to re-emerge threatening both her happiness and her reputation. As Gemma fights to protect those she loves and expose whoever’s intent on hurting her, will she be able to put the past to bed, dispense justice, and claim the future she deserves, before it is too late?'

L-Suranne Jones and Bertie Carvel, R-Suranne Jones, Tom Taylor and Bertie Carvel

On returning to the role for which she won a BAFTA and a National Television Award, Suranne Jones said she knew "the time was right".

Addressing the 11 year gap between seasons, she added, "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!"

Suranne Jones at the National Television Awards

The show's creator spoke of the series' continuing importance, suggesting that a woman's fight for justice is more relevant now than ever before.

Mike Bartlett told the BBC, "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."

Teasing what to expect, he added, "There’s still secrets, betrayals, vengeance and perhaps one last dinner party…"

All episodes of Doctor Foster's first two series are available to watch on iPlayer.

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.

Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.

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