Blue Lights, the heart-stopping police procedural set in Belfast, is unlikely to slow down soon. Not only did the BBC renew Blue Lights for season 3 before the show’s second outing had even aired, but we already know that season 4 is in the works, too. What more could we possibly ask for?
When I spoke to Blue Lights co-creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson during the press tour for Blue Lights season 2, it was clear that they’d already thought about the show’s long-term arc and how certain key moments would play into season 3 and even season 4.
Gerry Cliff’s horrific death at the end of Blue Lights season 1 will continue to affect our grieving not-really-rookies, with Lawn explaining: “We always knew that after Gerry died we wanted him still to be a presence in their lives and in their minds—and that will actually continue as we go forward into seasons 3 and 4. Even then, the ghost of Gerry will still be present.”
How will our favorite coppers deal with everything as they continue to grow and harden in their jobs? There’s only one way to find out.
When will ‘Blue Lights’ season 3 be released?
The BBC has yet to confirm an official release date for Blue Lights season 3, though production on the upcoming series officially commenced on location in Belfast in the first week of February 2025. Season 1 premiered in the U.K. in the spring of 2023, while season 2 premiered nearly a year later, so while there will be a more significant waiting period this time around, we’d expect the new season to be released in early 2026 (though it’s technically possible it will arrive earlier).
Season 3 will once again consist of six hour-long episodes.
The cast of ‘Blue Lights’ season 3
The main cast of season 2 are all reprising their roles for season 3. This includes cast 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 McIntyre, Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling, and Andrea Irvine as Nicola Robinson.
Joining them in the upcoming season are Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point, Dune: Prophecy), and Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters, Bloodlands). It’s currently unclear which characters they’re meant to play.
What do we know about ‘Blue Lights’ season 3’s plot?
So far, Blue Lights seasons 1 and 2 have mostly dealt with the looming horrors of drugs, social welfare, and gang wars in Belfast, but season 3 is primed to explore a different side of that kind of crime entirely.
According to the BBC’s official plot synopsis, Tommy, Grace, and Annie’s 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 organized 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.” It looks like they’ll be following the money this time around.
When the BBC announced season 3 was in production, Lawn and Patterson said, “For us, the joy of making Blue Lights is spending time with the characters and watching them grow, learn, and deal with the daily adversity of response policing in Belfast. At its heart, this is a show about personal, institutional and social change, and we want each series to reflect that in its own way.”
I can’t wait to see what the new season has in store.
Blue Lights seasons 1 and 2 are now available to stream on BritBox in the U.S. and BBC iPlayer in the U.K.
