What To Expect From Sherwood Series 3 (& Will There Be A Series 4?)
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2 hours ago
Here's everything we know about the new instalment
Based on a series of real life murders in a Nottinghamshire mining village in 2004, Sherwood is a quintessential BBC crime drama – packed with shocking revelations, seat-holding tension, and a community struggling to stick together through it all. Created and written by James Graham, and starring David Morrissey and Lesley Manville, the series first came to our screens in 2022, and returned for its second season just two years later in 2024. Now it is back for its third, set to be released in early 2027. Here’s everything we know about Sherwood series 3.
Sherwood Series 3: Plot, Cast & Release Schedule
Credit: BBC/House Productions/Sam Taylor
What Is Sherwood About?
Set in a Nottinghamshire mining village, already fractured by the 1984-5 miner’s strike, divisions are driven deeper by the murder of former union activist Gary Jackson. His interest in former police covert activities leads the cops to suspect there’s a connection to the strike. As they dig into the case, the community begins to crumble as old resentments and buried secrets bubble to the surface.
Is Sherwood Based On A True Story?
Though making no claims to accuracy, Sherwood is loosely based on the actual murders of trade unionist Keith Frogson and hairdresser Chanel Taylor who died in the Nottinghamshire village of Annesley Woodhouse – creator James Graham’s home region.
In July 2004, the former coal miner and union activist Frogson was shot with a crossbow and attacked with samurai swords right on his doorstep. Eleven days later, newlywed Chanel Taylor was shot and killed. The killers, however, were not the same. Frogson has been killed by his neighbour Roger Boyer. Holding deep-rooted grievances about the community’s divisions, he grew mentally disturbed and attacked his neighbour in rage. Taylor, meanwhile, was killed by her father just days after he had walked her down the aisle. Both killers fled into nearby Annesley Woods (part of Sherwood Forest), triggering one of the largest manhunts in British history. And both were eventually caught.
Credit: BBC/House Productions/Sam Taylor
What Happened In Series 2? (Spoilers Ahead…)
Set two years after the events of series 1, Sherwood series 2 was inspired by the ‘Shottingham’ gang wars that mired the region and Nottinghamshire community, exploring drug warfare and a controversial coal mine pit which could either help or hinder the town’s people.
The finale delved into the aftermath of Mickey Sparrow’s (Philip Jackson) murder. While younger son Ronan (Bill Jones) blamed himself for starting the deadly feud with the Bransons, elder brother Rory (Perry Fitzpatrick) was consumed by vengeful fury. Despite Mickey’s wife, the grief-stricken Daphne (Lorraine Ashbourne), insisting Mickey wouldn’t want payback, Rory went rogue and offered up £3,000 of ‘borrowed’ drug money as a reward for the whereabouts of fugitive Ann Branson (Monica Dolan).
Intel came from a surprise source: the Bransons’ former gangland ally Jarrod (James Burrows) revealed where she was hiding. Rory was on his way, but Daphne got there first. Caught up in the mother of all shoot outs, Daphne ultimately couldn’t bring herself to execute her, betraying Mickey’s last wishes. But then Ann ran at Daphne in a rage. Daphne dodged, while Ann plunged into the murky depths.
Credit: BBC/House Productions/Sam Taylor
What Will Happen In Sherwood Series 3?
Sherwood series 3 will be set six months on from the end of series 2. This new instalment will centre on the Wood Family: working-class, respectable pillars of the community, who volunteer at the local church. Writer Graham said he would be putting this ‘brand new family’ through a ‘brand new trauma’. He added: ‘We really put these guys through the wringer, but it’s very exciting.’
Zoe Wood is a passionate campaigner on behalf of her town and husband Alex Wood is overseeing construction of the new Gotham housing estate. Meanwhile, DI Zara Gill is leading the operation into identifying the human remains found in the reservoir after Ann’s drowning. The trail leads to several missing people linked to the Bransons’ criminal activities, but one leads back to the Bostall family.
Forty years after he first went missing, the body of Arthur Bostall is unearthed from Nottingham’s ancient caves, and a series of unnerving questions begins to arise over who killed him and why. As the Wood and Bostall families find themselves forced to look back into the past, events in the present conspire to uncover more buried secrets for the family and the wider community alike.
Speaking of the upcoming series, writer James Graham said: ‘The joy of Sherwood for me is introducing brand new characters with exciting original stories each and every series, sitting alongside existing characters and actors I’ve grown to love.
‘The new Wood family, despite their down-to-earth humour and charm, are going to be put through the most intense experience we’ve created yet – a normal family, in the most extraordinary situation which we hope will have audiences asking “what would I do?” And we’ll be returning to other strands too – including Daphne Sparrow and her long-kept secret past…’
Juliette Howell, executive producer added: ‘James Graham has once again crafted something truly special with this series, combining gripping storytelling with profound emotional truth in a family mystery that will have audiences hooked from the first frame. The Woods are a family you will be desperate to protect even as you question everything about them and their actions.’
Credit: BBC/House Productions/Sam Taylor
Will There Be A Sherwood Series 4?
Unfortunately for Sherwood fans, series 3 is the last we’ll be seeing of the Nottingham community and its residents. Speaking on Sky’s podcast, Backstory with Cathy Newman, Graham said: ‘We’ve finished it, we’ve edited it, and it will be the last series.’
The Cast
This new series will be inviting a bunch of new and exciting names to the cast list, including Rosalie Craig (Riot Women) as Zoe Wood, Joe Dempsie (The Capture) as Alex Wood, Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Zoe’s mother Irene Bostall, Peter Wight (A Confession) as Zoe’s father Eric Bostall. Other newcomers include: Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman) as DI Zara Gill, Ben Batt (Toxic Town) as Troy and Adam Long (The Day of the Jackal) as Henry.
In addition to the new names, we will also see the return of David Morrissey as Detective Chief Superintendent Ian St Clair and Lesley Manville as Julie Jackson. Other returning cast members include:
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Daphne Sparrow
- Lindsay Duncan as Jennifer Hale
- Robert Glenister as DI Kevin Salisbury
- Robert Lindsay as Franklin Warner
- Claire Rushbrook as Cath Rowley
Release Date & Schedule
The six-part series has already been filmed and edited, with Graham revealing it is likely to arrive on BBC One in January or February 2027.
Sherwood series 1 and 2 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
