{"id":52407,"date":"2024-05-30T20:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2047600"},"modified":"2024-05-30T22:21:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T20:21:44","slug":"stephen-merchant-teases-emotional-outlaws-finale-and-addresses-show-future","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/stephen-merchant-teases-emotional-outlaws-finale-and-addresses-show-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Merchant teases \u201cemotional\u201d Outlaws finale and addresses show future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is this the end of the line? <\/p>

By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 30 May 2024 at 18:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The Outlaws creator and star Stephen Merchant has teased an \u201cemotional\u201d ending to the third season, which could potentially be the last of the hit comedy-drama.<\/p>\n

The brand new episodes, which launch on BBC One and iPlayer today, return to the eclectic group of community service workers as they tend to a local farm \u2013 oh yes, and bury a dead body that Rani (Rhianne Barreto) unceremoniously dumps on them.<\/p>\n

Questions remain over how exactly the individual died and whether the gang will be able to escape the terrifying revenge of The Dean (Claes Bang), the ruthless gangster that they put behind bars in season 2.<\/p>\n

At a launch event for the new episodes, Merchant assured there would still be time for the usual character growth, which paves the way for a tear-jerking potential send-off.<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s always the pleasure for me: can you involve people emotionally? One minute, they can be digging a hole for a body, but you do have to come back to the emotional core of these characters,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201c[For example, Darren Boyd\u2019s character] is trying to sort of turn his life around, he\u2019s listening to self-help apps and things like that, and the will they\/won\u2019t they romance [between Rani and Ben] which I\u2019ve done before, and that\u2019s always a pleasurable well to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

That last comment seems to be a nod to The Office (UK)<\/a>\u2018s Tim (Martin Freeman<\/a>) and Dawn (Lucy Davis), who are surely one of the most compelling romances in British sitcom history.<\/p>\n

Rani and Ben (Gamba Cole) have also had a bumpy ride, with the season 2 finale<\/a> seeing the former Oxford hopeful break bad, by walking out on her Bristolian beau as he attempts to turn over a new leaf in Weston-super-Mare.<\/p>\n

\"Ben\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Gamba Cole and Rhianne Barreto in The Outlaws season 3.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC \/ Big Talk \/ Alistair Heap<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Merchant continued: \u201cHopefully, by the end of the series, it\u2019s quite an emotional pay-off, I think. And hopefully, it\u2019ll bring a tear to the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a>, Barreto commented: \u201cThere\u2019s so many aspects of the show that I\u2019m really proud of, but for me, that relationship between [Rani and Ben] is the most important thing to me, because it\u2019s it\u2019s kind of the heart of the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially the last episode, I think people will be really moved by it. I\u2019m really proud of what we\u2019ve done with the last episode. Hopefully you\u2019ll cry!\u201d<\/p>\n

So, both star and creator are keeping fingers crossed for a teary audience \u2013 but does that mean this is the end of the line for The Outlaws?<\/p>\n

Merchant answered: \u201cWell, give yourself that option. But never say never. I think once you\u2019ve finished a show, you\u2019re so exhausted that the idea of thinking of how you would bring them all back seems quite overwhelming. But we\u2019ve shown that you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Outlaws is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of our Comedy<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what\u2019s on. <\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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