The Split Up star Shalini Peiris has confirmed hopes for a second series of the BBC drama. The White Lotus actress, 40, plays Zoya Bassu in BBC One's legal drama The Split Up, a spin-off of hit show The Split. On Monday evening (October 5), the series concludes dramatically after six episodes following the lives of those working at Kishan Law.
The show has featured storylines ranging from illicit affairs to custody disputes, divorce settlements, hidden family ties, and the future of the law firm. A second season is yet to be confirmed by the BBC.
Peiris expresses optimism on Morning Live
On Monday, the actress joined hosts Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones on the BBC's Morning Live via video link, where she expressed optimism that the show would be extended into a second series following the tense finale.
She said: "It's a legal drama, you have the case of the day each episode, but then that aside, each character has got plenty going on. So it's packed; each episode is very packed."
Zoya's future and the finale's 'spectacular' ending
Helen asked: "Where do you want it to go next, because there is a lot in it that you're invested in?"
She said: "I just want Zoya to be ok. But I feel like it does end with a few dots, dots, dots, which I think it would be interesting to kind of go into answering those questions. But I do just want Zoya to be ok because of that ex-husband of hers."
"You don't want her to be too ok as you want her to be in the next series, don't you?", Gethin remarked. "Yeah, no, that is true. Just the right level of drama, you know", Shalini agreed.
Character background and finale details
In the BBC series, Zoya — born and brought up in Delhi, India — arrived in Manchester due to a high-profile legal case, reports Wales Online. Before long, she was unveiled as the secret daughter of Dhruv Kishan (Sanjeev Bhaskar), the patriarch and founder of Kishan Law, while also being married to an abusive former husband, Vivek (Charlie de Melo).
Speaking about the final episode, Shalini added: "What's really nice about the finale is that it can be such a law-heavy show, but what I love is that he actually goes straight to the heart of the characters, and it's very much about family. There is drama, revelations, and it's very spectacular."
Morning Live airs weekdays at 9.30am on BBC One and iPlayer, while The Split Up concludes Monday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
