Will the BBC Three comedy-drama return for a third series? Here’s everything we know so far.

By Lauren Morris

Published: Wednesday, 01 September 2021 at 12:00 am

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Daisy Haggard’s dark comedy-drama Back to Life returned for a second series this week, with the Breeders star reprising her role as Miri Matteson – a 30-something woman adjusting to post-prison life after serving an 18-year sentence.

After the truth about Lara’s death was revealed at the end of series one, the brand new season follows Miri as she tries to move on with a brand new hair cut, a new job and a new romantic interest in the form of her neighbour Billy (Adeel Akhtar).

Of course, those who’ve binged the whole series already will know that Lara’s father John (Adrian Edmondson) had other plans for Miri which didn’t end so well for him – but what’s next for Miri now?

Read on for everything we know so far about Back to Life series three.

Will Back to Life return for a third series?

While there hasn’t been any official confirmation of a third series from the BBC, creator and star Daisy Haggard has revealed that she’s open to bringing Back to Life back for a third season.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Haggard said that she already has “a clear idea” of what would happen in series three.

“I knew how season two was going to end precisely, I just knew. But there is always a possibility for more,” she said. “These first two seasons cover her immediate departure, her immediate period of having left prison, and so me and Laura [Solon] were chatting the other day and we were like, ‘If we do do a season three…?’ We got all excited.

“We definitely have quite a clear idea about what that would be too but I love it when things complete so you feel sort of satisfied and you get your ending, but there’s a little dot dot dot of possibilities for more. But you still feel like you’ve consumed something.”

For now, we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that Miri Matteson returns to our screens.

Back to Life series 3 release date

If Back to Life is renewed for a third series, hopefully we won’t have to wait as long as we did for series two.

The show first arrived on BBC Three back in April 2019 and unsurprisingly due to the coronavirus pandemic, series two didn’t reach our screens until August 2021.

It’s hard to tell when series three would air but if it is commissioned, we would expect it to air in late 2022.

Back to Life series 3 cast

There’d be no Back to Life without Miri Matteson of course, so if the comedy-drama does return for a third series, we’d expect Daisy Haggard to reprise her leading role.

Geraldine James and Richard Durden, who play Miri’s mother and father Caroline and Oscar, would also be likely to return, as would Adeel Akhtar (Billy), Jo Martin (Janice), Jamie Michie (Dom) and Christine Bottomley (Mandy).

We know series two cast member Adrian Edmondson won’t be reprising his role as Lara’s police officer father John as his murder case was a key storyline in series two – however, it’s possible that he could return in flashbacks just like Imogen Gurney (Lara) did in the first series.

Back to Life series 3 trailer

A trailer for Back to Life’s third series hasn’t been released as the BBC hasn’t officially renewed the show for another outing yet – but watch this space for updates in the future.

Back to Life seasons one and two are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Take a look at what else is on with our TV guide. 

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