Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar star in upcoming legal drama The Split Up
Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy) and Sanjeev Bhaskar (Unforgotten) lead The Split Up, a brand-new six-part legal drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The series features story and characters created by Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother, Delicious), inspired by The Split, the acclaimed series from multiple award-winning writer Abi Morgan (The Split, Eric), and is produced by SISTER in association with Little Chick.
Joining Arya and Bhaskar in the ensemble cast are Aysha Kala (Virdee), Arian Nik (Film Club), Danny Ashok (Dinosaur), Dimitri Leonidas (Those About To Die), Mawaan Rizwan (Juice), Sindhu Vee (Matilda the Musical), Shalini Peiris (The White Lotus) and Tom Forbes (Queenie). The series will also feature special guest appearances from Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds) and Jane Horrocks (Bloods).
Set against the backdrop of Manchester’s high-net-worth divorce circuit, The Split Up follows Kishan Law, a powerhouse British South Asian family firm and the go-to choice for the city’s elite. At its centre is Aria Kishan (Ritu Arya), a fast-rising lawyer preparing to take over the reins from her father, Dhruv (Sanjeev Bhaskar). But following the death of her mother, Dhruv begins to question whether his daughter can – or should – shoulder such responsibility alone.
As Aria plans her upcoming wedding to long-term partner Neal (Danny Ashok), cracks begin to appear in both their personal and professional relationship. When an old flame (Dimitri Leonidas) resurfaces unexpectedly, her world becomes even more complicated. Alongside her siblings Maya (Aysha Kala) and Kav (Arian Nik), Aria must navigate the fractures that divide family, love, and loyalty – and ultimately ask herself: who should you live your life for?
Ursula Rani Sarma says:
“Having admired The Split and Abi Morgan for years, I was honoured to be asked to bring The Split Up to life. As a writer passionate about representation, it’s a dream come true to place a contemporary British South Asian family centre stage. Diversity deepens our understanding, enriches our stories, and reflects the true fabric of our society. It’s thrilling to watch our amazing cast led by Ritu and Sanjeev bring the Kishan family to life. I can’t wait for audiences to meet them and to witness the drama as it unfolds.”
Abi Morgan adds:
“The chance to take all that was loved about The Split and use it to inspire the next generation of British South Asian talent, to create a new family of dynamic lawyers spilling over with all the messiness of life, both personally and professionally, has been a brilliant challenge, beautifully realised by lead writer Ursula Rani Sama. I hope audiences will take it to their hearts.”
Jane Featherstone, Co-Founder and Executive Producer at SISTER, says:
“Working with Abi Morgan on The Split has been one of the favourite experiences of my career so I am totally thrilled to be able to now work with the supremely talented Ursula Rani Sarma on The Split Up, with a new story and a brand-new set of characters – that are rich with emotion and full of wit. We have a remarkable cast led by the brilliant Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar. We’re so proud to be working once again with the BBC on a series that captures the messy, complicated realities of love, family and ambition – this time in Manchester, and we hope audiences will fall for the Kishans, and their power suits, as much as we have.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says:
“We’re thrilled to announce this outstanding cast for The Split Up led by Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Abi Morgan’s The Split is one of our most loved dramas and in The Split Up Ursula Rani Sarma has superbly created a new family of Manchester lawyers whose professional and personal lives will keep viewers hooked.”
Filming begins this month as the BBC celebrates 60 years of South Asian programming, marking six decades of British South Asian storytelling and voices both on and off screen.