Will the PSNI team be back on the beat for a third season?

By James Hibbs

Published: Monday, 15 April 2024 at 11:00 AM


The second season of Blue Lights is now available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer, giving viewers a chance to catch up with the PSNI team in Belfast including Grace, Stevie, Annie and Tommy.

The first season was a huge hit when it first arrived last year, leading to a quick renewal for this second outing, which sees rival gangs jostling for position in the city following the downfall of the McIntyre family.

But, as fans binge their way through the six new episodes, will the series be coming back for a third season beyond them, or is this the last time we’ll be heading to this version of Belfast?

Read on for everything you need to know about Blue Lights season 3.

Will there be a Blue Lights season 3?

Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis and Martin McCann as Stevie Neil in Blue Lights, wearing police uniforms and stood next to a body
Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis and Martin McCann as Stevie Neil in Blue Lights
BBC/Two Cities Television/Christopher Barr

There will! In fact, Blue Lights was renewed not only for a third season, but also for a fourth on before the second was released, in February 2024.

Speaking when the renewal was announced, creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson said: “We’re thrilled that the BBC is committing to Blue Lights in this way. From the beginning, we wanted to write a show that had scale and ambition in its storytelling, and this decision gives us everything we need to do that.

“Thanks to the BBC, to Two Cities/STV and Gallagher Films, and to our brilliant cast and crew. But most of all thanks to our audience who have responded so powerfully to the show. Time for us to get to work!”

When will Blue Lights season 3 be released?

Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff in police uniform looking ahead at something.
Sandra Cliff (Andi Osho) in Blue Lights
BBC/Two Cities Television/Christopher Barr

We don’t yet know exactly when Blue Lights season 3 will be released, but given that season 2 has arrived just over a year after the first, and the renewal for season 3 came ahead of time, we’d imagine a similar release schedule will continue to be followed.

We would therefore expect that Blue Lights season 3 will arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in Spring 2025, either March or April.

Speaking at a Q&A for the series, Lawn explained how the early renewal for season 3 has impacted writings, saying: “It’s wonderful.

“It’s a great vote of confidence in the whole team and everyone involved. Creatively though, for us as writers, it gives us a great deal of certainty, and it means we can plan the story arcs now over 12 episodes instead of six, which we’re really excited about.

“It’s kind of like you’re doing a painting on a small page and then someone says, ‘Here’s a big canvas’. So it feels creatively very, very exciting.”

Lawn also suggested that it might take either two or three years for both seasons 3 and 4 to come out, perhaps hinting towards a slight delay, either between seasons 2 and 3 or 3 and 4. We will update this page once we know anything further.