Blue Lights season 3: Release date, trailer and latest news
The PSNI team's next assignment is on the way.
While there may be quite the longer gap between the second and third seasons of Blue Lights than the first and second, it's now time to get excited about the Northern Ireland-based drama as new episodes are now available to watch.
With the series now there to binge-watch on BBC iPlayer and premiering this evening on BBC One, excitement is at an all-time high to see just what is in store for Grace (Siân Brooke) and the rest of the PSNI team.
The good thing is that we already know that there's a fourth season in the pipeline, which only shows the BBC's confidence in the series. allowing the writers to plan for two story arcs at once.
Brooke has already teased that season 3 is "intense" and "surprising", with her co-star Nathan Braniff also teasing to RadioTimes.com that the new run is "the best so far".
But when can we expect to see season 3 and what can we expect? Read on for everything we know so far about Blue Lights season 3.
Blue Lights season 3 release date
Blue Lights season 3 officially debuts as a boxset on BBC iPlayer on Monday 29th September, with the first episode will also airing on BBC One at 9pm that evening. Episodes will then air on BBC One weekly every Monday.
Filming got under way on the next chapter in February 2025, with a significant delay to shooting caused partly by the show's double renewal for both a third and fourth season, which thus required additional planning and coordination.
"It's a bit later [than last series] actually, for the turnaround; for them to get all their ducks in a row," explained star Siân Brooke in an interview with Den of Geek.
Blue Lights season 3 cast: New and returning
Good news: Most of the Blue Lights cast are reprising their roles for season 3, with Siân Brooke and Martin McCann among the returnees as Grace Ellis and Stevie Neil, respectively.
You can also expect to see more from Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon, Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster, Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally, Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff and Frank Blake as Shane Bradley.
Meanwhile, the wider supporting cast will once again feature Abigail McGibbon as Tina, Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling and Andrea Irvine as Nicola Robinson.
Joining the Blue Lights roster for its third season are Dune: Prophecy's Cathy Tyson and Bad Sisters star Michael Smiley, as confirmed by the BBC.
In summary, here's a list of the confirmed Blue Lights season 3 cast so far:
- Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis
- Martin McCann as Stevie Neil
- Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon
- Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster
- Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally
- Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff
- Frank Blake as Shane Bradley
- Abigail McGibbon as Tina
- Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling
- Andrea Irvine as Nicola Robinson
- Cathy Tyson as Dana Morgan
- Michael Smiley as Paul 'Colly' Collins
Blue Lights season 3 plot
The synopsis of Blue Lights season 3, courtesy of the BBC, reads: "Two years into their jobs as response officers, Grace, Annie and Tommy are accustomed to life under the blue lights.
"But their work will take them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, the world of the accountants and lawyers who facilitate organised crime.
"The old political and criminal order has gone and a new global gang rule Belfast, bringing danger closer to home for our officers than ever before."
Blue Lights co-creator Declan Lawn previously teased that the next phase of the drama series would unfold across a larger "canvas", owing to the show's simultaneous renewal for seasons 3 and 4.
"For us, as writers, it gives us a great deal of certainty, and it means we can plan the story arcs now over 12 episodes instead of six, which we're really excited about," he explained.
Speaking to the BBC about season 3, co-creator Declan Lawn said: "We continue to look at the vast personal pressures on police officers, which come from various places, and which only intensify as their careers go on. And of course, we’re still in Belfast, a divided city that is haunted by the past, finely balanced between progress and atavism."
In terms of the themes tying the third season together, he added: "The fundamental theme of the show is the same, which is the question of how we as individuals can carve out a semblance of personal agency in a world where meaningful change seems implausible if not impossible."
Meanwhile, in May, Grace star Siân Brooke told RadioTimes.com that season 3 is "intense" and "surprising" and that it "blows it out the water" in comparison to previous seasons. "I don't know how these guys get better and better, but they do."
She added, when speaking about the show's characters: "There's a lot of care that's gone into making them and they're very individual and so people have related to them, they want to know what happens, where the story ends."
Meanwhile, Tommy star Nathan Braniff said: "It's the best so far this next one, I would say, so we're all super excited for everybody at home to see it."
Is there a trailer for Blue Lights season 3?
Yes! You can watch the trailer for Blue Lights season 3 below.
Blue Lights season 3 will arrive on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Monday 29th September. seasons 1-2 are available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
