By Carmen Croghan for Drama on May 30th, 2019

It's Official! 'Last Tango in Halifax' Will Return in 2020

Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid in the "Last Tango" Holiday Special (Photo: Courtesy of BBC/Red Productions/Gary Moyes)

It’s literally been years since we last heard from the Buttershaws and their extended brood. So it was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, when reports started surfacing this week that Last Tango in Halifax’s extended hiatus is at last coming to an end.

For those who aren’t familiar or need a quick refresher, the BAFTA-winning dramedy starring Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid tells the story of a pair star-crossed teenage sweethearts who reunite on Facebook over fifty years later. Their respective adult daughters (played by Nicola Walker and Sarah Lancashire) and their complicated lives also figure significantly in the series.

The show first premiered on PBS in the fall of 2013 and ran for three full seasons. However, after the broadcast of a two-part Christmas special in 2017 (we had to wait an extra year here in the US), the general feeling was that Last Tango in Halifax had, well, danced its last tango. Star Jacobi, who plays Alan Buttershaw, even went so far as to declare the series finished, citing the increasingly busy professional schedule of Halifax creator Sally Wainwright.

Admittedly, Wainwright is an extremely prolific and very in-demand screenwriter these days. Best known for her strong female lead characters, Wainwright’s other credits include The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, Scott & Bailey, Happy Valley and the new BBC/HBO sensation Gentleman Jack. So, yeah...it's a lot. 

However, Sir Derek apparently spoke out of turn because now - almost two years after that initially remark - we have been assured that our favorite dysfunctional Yorkshire clan is returning to TV for a four-part series in 2020. BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has confirmed this fact exclusively to Radio Times.

At this time there is no information on which members of the cast will be returning for the new season. It would appear that Lancashire will be involved, since earlier this year she mentioned on Graham Norton’s radio show that a new season of the show was a go.

"Yes, I have news," she said. "Yes, we do plan to do some more this year. It’s a great show, and the genius writer, who is Sally Wainwright, is on it. She’s on the case."

We’ll fill you in as details, including casting news and a U.S. airdate, become available.

The question is are you excited for the return of Last Tango? Will you watch its (admittedly long-awaited) return? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments section!

By Carmen Croghan for Drama on May 30th, 2019
Carmen Croghan

Carmen Croghan often looks at the state of her British addiction and wonders how it got so out of hand.  Was it the re-runs of Monty Python on PBS, that second British Invasion in the 80’s or the royal pomp and pageantry of Charles and Diana’s wedding? Whatever the culprit, it led her to a college semester abroad in London and over 25 years of wishing she could get back to the UK again.  Until she is able, she fills the void with British telly, some of her favorites being comedies such as The Office, The IT Crowd, Gavin and Stacey, Alan Partridge, Miranda and Green Wing. Her all-time favorite series, however, is Life On Mars. A part-time reference library staffer, she spends an inordinate amount of time watching just about any British series she can track down which she then writes about for her own blog Everything I Know about the UK, I Learned from the BBC.  She is excited to be contributing to Telly Visions and endeavors to share her Anglo-zeal with its readers.

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