The BBC has today announced that filming has begun on series three of the award-winning Sherwood – the critically acclaimed Nottinghamshire drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, from multi-award winning James Graham and House Productions, part of BBC Studios.
The third series sees a mixture of new and returning cast including Rosalie Craig (Riot Women, The Hack), Joe Dempsie (Get Millie Black, Toxic Town), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman, Sugar), Sue Johnston (True Love, The Royle Family), Peter Wight (Another Year, A Confession), Ben Batt (Riot Women, Toxic Town) and Adam Long (Day of the Jackal, Masters of the Air) joining regular cast David Morrissey, Lorraine Ashbourne, Lesley Manville, Claire Rushbrook, Perry Fitzpatrick, Bill Jones and Robert Lindsay. Lindsay Duncan and Robert Glenister also return to reprise their roles from season one.
Hailed by critics as one of TV’s greatest dramas of recent years, Sherwood returns to the Nottinghamshire former mining community of Ashfield, following the dramatic conclusion of series two’s Branson and Sparrow family feud as Daphne Sparrow watched Ann Branson, the matriarch of her criminal family, disappear into the depths of the reservoir.
Six months on, the third series of Sherwood sees a new family at its heart. The Wood family is the picture of working-class respectability – pillars of the community, volunteers at the local church, with Zoe Wood (Craig), in particular, a passionate campaigner on behalf of her town. Husband Alex Wood (Dempsie) is overseeing construction of the new Gotham housing estate which is being built in the shadows of Sherwood Forest, and where they live with their kids and Zoe’s parents, Irene and Eric Bostall (Johnston and Wight), as the estate’s first residents.
Meanwhile, DI Zara Gill (Howell-Baptiste) is leading the operation into identifying the numerous human remains that were found in the reservoir during the recovery operation following Ann’s drowning. The trail leads to several missing people linked to the Bransons’ criminal activities but one specific discovery unexpectedly leads back to the Bostall family.
Forty years after he first went missing, the body of Arthur Bostall is unearthed from Nottingham’s ancient caves, and a series of unnerving questions begins to arise over who killed him and why. As the Wood and Bostall families find themselves being forced to look back into the past, events in the present conspire to uncover more buried secrets for the family and the wider community alike.
Graham says: “The joy of Sherwood for me is introducing brand new characters with exciting original stories each and every series, sitting alongside existing characters and actors I’ve grown to love. The new Wood family, despite their down-to-earth humour and charm, are going to be put through the most intense experience we’ve created yet – a normal family, in the most extraordinary situation which we hope will have audiences asking ‘what would I do?’ And we’ll be returning to other strands too – including Daphne Sparrow (Ashbourne) and her long-kept secret past…”
Juliette Howell, executive producer comments: “James Graham has once again crafted something truly special with this series, combining gripping storytelling with profound emotional truth in a family mystery that will have audiences hooked from the first frame. The Woods are a family you will be desperate to protect even as you question everything about them and their actions. James continues to prove himself as one of British drama’s most vital voices, asking urgent questions about community, loyalty and justice that resonate far beyond Nottinghamshire.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, adds: “Across two series Sherwood resonated with millions of BBC viewers and I’m thrilled that it’s back with such a stellar cast for this third chapter. James Graham’s scripts are as gripping and unpredictable as ever, with some fantastically knotty new characters to enjoy. I can’t wait for people to see what’s in store.”
Sherwood is created and written by James Graham who is also an executive producer. Clio Barnard returns as lead director and executive producer with Jack Casey (Blue Lights) also directing, and the producer is Kath Mattock (Murder). The series is produced by House Productions, part of BBC Studios, and the executive producers are Juliette Howell and Tessa Ross, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Sherwood was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. BBC Studios is handling global sales.
