Tara Lynne O'Neill as Eve Dunlop in Hope Street
Hope Street is returning – with a new face at the centre of all the crime-solving drama in Port Devine! (Picture: BBC)

Fans of BBC drama Hope Street can rejoice, as a fourth series on the way!

The BBC One serial, which has proven incredibly popular with viewers in the UK, the US and beyond, centres on the police department and residents of fictional Northern Irish town Port Devine.

The first series centred on the arrival of the Leila Hussain (Amara Karan), whose presence got tongues wagging in the sleepy little town, while the second saw new detective Al Quinn (Stephen Hagan) join the police force, causing quite the stir.

The third series, which Metro.co.uk deemed its best to date, saw Jo Lipton’s (Karan Hassan) arrival setting the cat among the pigeons – not to mention PC Callum McCarthy’s (Niall Wright) heart racing!

With it having been quite some time since series three hit iPlayer, fans had been awaiting news of the show’s fate, desperately hoping for another series and we’re pleased to confirm that there will in fact be more Port Devine drama, with a fourth season of eight episodes having been commissioned earlier this year.

The upcoming series, which has already wrapped filming in Donaghadee, will be Hope Street’s most different to date, with Port Devine’s police department moving to a new headquarters.

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What’s more, there’s a new Inspector in town!

Police Inspector Eve Dunlop, played by iconic Derry Girls star Tara Lynne O’Neill, will be taking charge at the station. Eve left Port Devine many years ago but has now returned with her family to build bridges and investigate a mysterious disappearance.

‘I am absolutely delighted to be joining Hope Street and cannot wait to work by the sea,’ said Tara Lynne. ‘Port Devine watch out!’

In addition to Tara Lynne, Ted Lasso star Marcus Onilude has also joined the cast.

In terms of returning faces, everyone’s favourite police constable Callum will be staging a comeback, with actor Niall Wright reprising his role, which will no doubt come as a relief to fans given the ambiguity about the character’s future at the end of the the previous series.

Phew!

Callum and Jo in Hope Street
Callum and Jo will be back for another series – but just what hurdles will their romance face this time around?(Picture: BBC / Jack Maguire / Long Story TV)

Kerri Quinn, who plays Marlene Pettigrew, is also returning, as are Aaron McCusker (Clint Dunwoody), Niamh McGrady (Nicole Devine), Finnian Garbutt (Ryan Power), Des McAleer (Barry Pettigrew), Rachel Tucker (Siobhan O’Hare) and Karen Hassan (Jo Lipton).

Discussing Hope Street’s impending return, Eddie Doyle – Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland – said: ‘It’s great to be back in Donaghadee, filming a fourth series of Hope Street and this time round we are welcoming a new family to Port Devine. 

 ‘I think Hope Street captures the humour and warmth of the people here and I’m really looking forward to Tara-Lynne O’Neill, along with some other new faces, joining the cast.

 ‘We are grateful for the continued support of BBC Daytime, Northern Ireland Screen and BritBox International which makes this all possible.”

Marlene in Hope Street at her desk
Marlene will also be staging a comeback for the fourth series (Picture: BBC / Jack Maguire / Long Story TV)

Helen Munson, Commissioning Editor, BBC Daytime, added: ‘I’m thrilled that we’ll be bringing the beautiful backdrop of Northern Ireland back for another series of Hope Street. Fans of the series will be delighted to see well-loved characters returning along with some new faces. With a brilliant mix of drama and crime solving, it’s all going on in Port Devine!”   

Jess O’Riordan, Commissioning Executive, BritBox International, says: ‘We’re delighted to be working with BBC and Long Story again on a fourth instalment of Hope Street. 

‘BritBox fans of the show will be thrilled to return to stunning Port Devine for more crime solving and gripping storytelling set against the backdrop of that beautiful scenery we’ve all come to know and love.’

Hope Street’s first three series can be streamed on BBC iPlayer now. 

This article was originally published on 25th April 2024.

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