Blue Lights series three promises darker storylines, new villains and high-stakes drama in Belfast
- Love Ballymena
- Sep 29
- 4 min read
Nathan Braniff (Tommy Foster), Katherine Delvin (Annie Conlon), Martin McCann (Stevie Niell), Sian Brooke (Grace Ellis) (Image: BBC/Two Cities Television)
The BAFTA-winning police drama Blue Lights returns for its much-anticipated third series, with cast and creators promising more danger, emotional intensity and gripping storylines than ever before.
Set in Belfast, the BBC drama has captivated audiences in the UK and worldwide with its unflinching portrayal of frontline policing in a city still haunted by its history.
Now, with new characters, tougher challenges and international crime syndicates on the rise, Blue Lights is preparing to take viewers deeper into Northern Ireland’s criminal underworld.
From rookies to seasoned officers
Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke) and Martin McCann (Stevie Neil)
Series three picks up two years after Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke), Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) first joined the response team.
No longer rookies, they are now experienced officers – but life under the “blue lights” is tougher than ever.
Grace is battling frustration at the limitations of her role and questioning whether she can really bring about change. Her relationship with fellow officer Stevie Neil (Martin McCann), recently promoted to Sergeant, is tested by differing ambitions and personal strains.
Annie, hardened by trauma, faces the emotional toll of the job, while Tommy must balance career pressures with the demands of his relationship with Aisling.
Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin)
Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff)
As co-creator Adam Patterson explains:
“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.”
New threats in Belfast’s criminal underworld
This season expands beyond street-level policing, exposing the white-collar networks that enable organised crime.
Viewers will be introduced to Dana Morgan, played by Cathy Tyson, who runs an exclusive private members’ club but hides far more sinister connections.
Her rival within the police force is Paul “Colly” Collins, portrayed by Michael Smiley, an intelligence officer whose arrival at Blackthorn Station unsettles established loyalties.
Colly (Michael Smiley)
Ballymena’s Declan Lawn, co-creator and executive producer, explained:
“Series three looks at the professional apparatus alongside organised crime, and how paramilitaries in Belfast are often in thrall to international organised crime gangs using the territory as a stopping off point for large scale drug smuggling.
“It also looks at sexual exploitation of kids in care. These storylines are entirely fictional but informed by careful research so have a real authenticity.”
From gated mansions to elite clubs where the powerful believe themselves untouchable, the show will depict a Belfast rarely seen on screen.
Human stories at the heart of the drama
Despite the scale of its storylines, Blue Lights has built its reputation on character-driven drama.
Relationships are complex, fragile and often messy, mirroring real life rather than neat TV resolutions.
Lawn said:
“Drama might have acts and story arc structures, but human relationships rarely do. They take one step forward, two steps back, and then half a step forward again. People are scared of commitment and of having their hearts broken, particularly as they get older. Even when we have good intentions, we make mistakes.”
This realism extends to policing itself. The show portrays both the dedication of officers and the flaws within the system. According to Patterson, this honesty has struck a chord:
“Many of us feel despondent right now about whether we can really do anything to change the world. In our show we examine that malaise in terms of response policing and maybe draw a few conclusions along the way.”
Local pride and global acclaim
Filmed on the streets of Belfast, the drama has been embraced by residents and police alike. Lawn acknowledged:
“Making a contemporary TV show set in your own backyard carries with it certain risks and responsibilities, but so far, the response in Northern Ireland has been very positive. Hopefully that’s because our love for Belfast comes across in Blue Lights, even though we all know that as a city it is a flawed diamond.”
The show’s success has also gone global. Its BAFTA win for Best Drama Series in 2024 cemented its reputation as one of Britain’s most acclaimed new dramas. For the cast and crew, seeing its poster in Times Square was a career-defining moment.
Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke)
Actor Siân Brooke recalled:
“When we went to New York, it was incredible seeing our faces on top of a giant billboard in Times Square. We were all like children, totally wide-eyed but also not really knowing what to do with that moment.”
Why Blue Lights stands out
Unlike other police dramas, Blue Lights is rooted firmly in its location, shaped by Belfast’s unique history and present-day realities.
It offers an authentic, sometimes raw depiction of policing, refusing to shy away from systemic flaws while still finding humanity in its characters.
Michael Smiley, who joins the cast this season, said:
“Some people may say it’s another cop drama, but it’s a cop drama that is really specific to that part of the world. There are little details that serve as an education for people. The writers know for a fact that they’ve got to represent Belfast and they do it so magnificently.”
A city, its people, and its stories
Helen McNally (Joanne Crawford)
For the creators, authenticity remains the cornerstone. The drama is not simply about crime but about how a community and its police officers navigate a fragile balance between progress and the shadows of the past.
As Patterson put it:
“The fundamental theme of the show is the same… how we as individuals can carve out a semblance of personal agency in a world where meaningful change seems implausible if not impossible.”
With gripping storylines, powerful new villains, and deeply human struggles, Blue Lights series three looks set to cement its place as one of the BBC’s most important dramas of recent years.
