Bertie Carvel doesn’t think the BBC can afford a Doctor Foster return.
The 42-year-old actor, who played cheating Simon Foster in the first two series, isn’t expecting a third series of the TV thriller because of the success his former co-stars Suranne Jones and Jodie Comer have enjoyed since the second season aired three years ago.
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He’s quoted by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: “It will be difficult to get the band back together. That’s the challenge with British TV, there aren’t the budgets to keep people in golden hand-cuffs with such huge options.
“It was a blessing we were able to do the second and I wasn’t too busy at that stage. The further we go in time, everybody’s career is doing very nicely.
“You have to make a big investment in something in order to make it an endlessly returnable series.”
There aren’t the budgets to keep people in golden hand-cuffs with such huge options
While Suranne has gone onto appear in the likes of Save Me, Vanity Fair and Gentleman Jack, Jodie has become a global star with her role as Villanelle in Killing Eve.
Meanwhile, next month Bertie himself will play a British spy in Channel 4’s Baghdad Central, but he has refused to say too much about the upcoming police drama.
He added: “I can’t say much without giving the plot away. But I enjoy that stuff and I carry the scars.”
Very excited to share the first trailer for #BaghdadCentral, coming very soon to @Channel4! https://t.co/tDRfKZVg1p
— Euston Films (@eustonfilms) January 20, 2020
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Meanwhile, Doctor Foster creator Mike Bartlett previously revealed plot details for a potential third series, but he admitted any return would have to come “at the right time”.
He explained: “That ending of series two leaves a lot open to come back to: where has the son Tom gone and what’s happening to him?
“What happens to the parents? That’s the sort of story territory we’d be in, but it’s not written yet.
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“No one has ever put pressure on me to make more of it. I think the BBC would rather I did something new, but if we do bring Doctor Foster back it will only thrive if we do it at the right time.”
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