The fourth series of the Northern Ireland-set police drama Blue Lights concludes on Tuesday evening, with the BBC confirming that MasterChef: The Professionals will take its place in the schedule.
Series four of the BBC One drama premiered on Tuesday, September 29, returning viewers to the lives of response officers Grace Ellis, Tommy Foster and Annie Conlon as they faced another dangerous chapter. The new series picked up three years into the officers' careers, with the trio pushed to their limits while confronting what is described as "the greatest threat they have ever encountered".
Cast and storyline for the final series
The returning cast for the fourth series included Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis, alongside Martin McCann as Stevie Neil, Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon, and Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster. Joanne Crawford reprised her role as Chief Inspector Helen McNally, with Andi Osho returning as Sandra Cliff, and Frank Blake as Shane Bradley.
Abigail McGibbon returned as Tina McIntyre, with Dearbháile McKinney playing Aisling Byrne, Neil Keery as Sergeant Lawrence McCloskey and Andrea Irvine as Chief Superintendent Nicola Robinson.
Finale synopsis and future of the show
The synopsis for the season four finale reads: "Life is in the balance after the explosion at Katie's house, while Gerry's evidence on state collusion is released. The section race to put an end to Morgan's empire." The final installment also confirmed Blackthorn's closure as the team made plans for their future at new stations.
The BBC has not confirmed if there will be a series five of the popular show. Blue Lights will be replaced in the BBC schedule by the new season of MasterChef: The Professionals.
What replaces Blue Lights on BBC One
The cooking competition starts tonight at 8pm on BBC One, but next Tuesday (November 10) it will be bumped up to the 9pm spot as Blue Lights goes off air. Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash also return to BBC One next Tuesday with a third season of their fly-on-the-wall show Stacey & Joe at 8pm.
A synopsis for the show reads: "Joe has big plans for the lake, with Stacey keeping everything on track. But between press interest, two birthdays and Joe's new emu obsession, life is busy." Blue Lights is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
