It’s the final countdown for the McCall brothers and things have never looked more dire. Plus, we roundup our favourite series that celebrate the best (and worst) of sibling love…
By Charlotte Briggs, Staff Writer
Get ready for plenty of twists, turns and deception as Mark Bonnar (Shetland) and Jamie Sives (Annika) return to screens as Max and Jake, in the hotly anticipated four-part final season of Guilt.
Created by screenwriter and journalist Neil Forsyth (who’s also behind The Gold, Bob Servant and Eric, Ernie And Me), the award-winning series has kept us on tenterhooks since 2019. And we can’t wait to see if the dysfunctional brothers can get themselves out of trouble for good. Check out the thrilling trailer for series 3 below.
So, what’s all the fuss about? If you haven’t been tuning into this Scottish thriller, it’s been a memorable journey for Max and Jake. Back in series 1, the brothers killed an elderly man in a hit-and-run accident while under the influence. The pair have been covering their tracks ever since, and series 2 concluded with Max and Jake successfully evading the Lynch crime family to start a new life in Chicago.
But as series 3 begins, things have never looked worse for the siblings. The final part of the trilogy opens with the brothers’ return to Edinburgh, after their business ventures turn sour overseas. But their welcome home is far from warm, with enemies old and new lurking around every corner. Max and Jake seek ever more desperate solutions as they encounter a dangerous face from their past. Yikes!
Along with Bonnar and Sives, also returning are series favourites Phyllis Logan (The Crown) as ruthless matriarch Maggie, Emun Elliot (The Paradise) as inept private investigator Kenny and Greg McHugh (Fresh Meat) as the menacing Teddy. Ellie Haddington (Motherland), Sara Vickers (Endeavour) and Henry Pettigrew (Death In Paradise) reprise their roles as Sheila, Erin and Stevie respectively.
Will the brothers finally find redemption and a future free of danger (and each other)? There’s only one way to find out. Tune in to series 3’s premiere episode on Tuesday 25 April at 10pm on BBC Scotland HD (CH 108) and Thursday 27 April at 9pm on BBC Two HD (CH 102).
You can also catch up on series 1 and 2 now on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer and all four episodes of series 3 will be available from Tuesday 25 April on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer.
In the meantime, if you want to laugh, cry or reminisce about your own brothers and sisters, check out our round-up of series that showcase all kinds of sibling love. From hilarious hijinks and deep loyalty to, um, “healthy” rivalries and even full-blown fights, we guarantee that these series will make you think of someone close to home…
Fleabag
Find series 1 + 2 on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer or Prime Video
If you haven’t met Fleabag yet then it’s time to get acquainted. Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the series titular character, based on her one-woman play of the same name. Often bleak but always funny, the comedy follows the central character (never actually named as “Fleabag”) as she experiences the ups and downs of modern life in London. A topic that frequently features is her strained relationship with her sister Claire (Sian Clifford, Life After Life), with Waller-Bridge breaking the fourth wall repeatedly to give a running commentary on their bond, or lack of.
Only Fools And Horses
Find series 1-8 + specials in On Demand
Arguably the best British sitcom of all time, Only Fools And Horses stars David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst (more on him to come!) as plonker brothers Del Boy and Rodney. Over eight seasons and several specials we follow the get-rich-quick escapades of the Trotter bros, as they sell everything from fake merch to stolen gear from their three-wheeled yellow van. The show has reached superstar heights across the world, even inspiring a West End musical about the brothers’ adventures. Lovely jubbly!
This Is Us
Find seasons 1-6 on Apps & Games > Prime Video
This American drama series follows the lives of siblings Kevin (Justin Hartley, Senior Year), Kate (Chrissy Metz, American Horror Story) and Randall (Sterling K Brown, Black Panther), who have all chosen different paths but remain strongly tied together by their familial bonds. Through different timeframes across six series, the trio go through the same personal struggles and enormous milestones that many of us experience in real life, while trying to find happiness and overcome the tragedies in their past.
Sister, Sister
Find seasons 1-6 on Apps & Games > Netflix
Real-life twins Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game) and Tamera Mowry-Housley (The Real) star as fictional twins Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell in this nostalgic 90s sitcom. Separated at birth, the pair are reunited by a chance encounter at a clothing store with their adoptive parents, leading to the two blending families and navigating the laugh-out-loud trials and tribulations of life at high school and beyond.
This Way Up
Find series 1 + 2 on Apps & Games > All 4
Created by and starring Aisling Bea (Quiz) this relatable comedy-drama will leave you equally in fits of laughter and tears. Aine (Bea) is recovering from a nervous breakdown under the watchful eye of her sister Shona (Sharon Hogan, Catastrophe). Aine is working as a teacher and, against her better judgement, begins a relationship with the father of one of her students. Meanwhile, Shona is battling her own problems as she fights an attraction towards her female colleague while living with her partner (Aasif Mandvi, The Proposal).
The Family Pile
Find series 1 on Apps & Games > ITVX
Nicole (Amanda Abbington, Mr Selfridge), Ursula (Claire Keelan, The Trip), Yvette (Clare Calbraith, Grace) and Gaynor (Alexandra Mardell, Coronation Street) are sisters dealing with one of life’s biggest milestones – their parents’ passing. In this comedy drama the four are reunited in the aftermath as they begin to pack up and sell their family home, but even in grief their messy lives and the problems that go with it continue on.
Frasier
Find series 1-11 on Apps & Games > All 4
After he rose to fame as Dr Frasier Crane in American sitcom Cheers, Kelsey Grammer took on the series lead in his character’s spin-off series Frasier. The series begins with Frasier moving back to his hometown of Seattle, and things are far from ideal as he constantly deals with his snooty younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce, The Good Wife). And Frasier fans everywhere will be delighted about its upcoming revival, starring Grammer in the titular role once more… alongside one of Peckham’s most famous pair of brothers, Nicholas Lyndhurst!
Charmed
Find seasons 1-7 on Apps & Games > Prime Video
Before the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina and Wednesday there were spooky shenanigans afoot in this fantasy series about three sisters with supernatural gifts. After discovering that they are descendants from a line of powerful witches, Piper (Holly Marie Combs, Pretty Little Liars), Prue (Shannen Doherty, Heathers) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano, Insatiable) use their witchcraft for good to fight the forces of evil. Talk about girl power!
Man Like Mobeen
Find seasons 1-3 on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer or Netflix
Guz Khan (Turn Up Charlie) channels his personal experiences into this critically acclaimed comedy drama series set in inner-city Birmingham. Mobeen (Khan) is just your ordinary 28-year-old man, who’s juggling being a good friend and Muslim with raising his 15-year-old sister (Dúaa Karim, Feel Good). And if that isn’t complicated enough, Mobeen struggles with his criminal past as well as the challenges he faces as a Muslim man in Britain.
Siblings
Find series 1 + 2 on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer
Hannah (Charlotte Ritchie, Ghosts) and Dan (Tom Stourton, Mood) are the world’s most unlikeable siblings, who share a flat together in London. They try to live their best carefree lives, but their selfish and obnoxious attitudes always manage to cause plenty of chaos and disaster along the way. From family and friends to complete strangers, no one is spared from the consequences of the French siblings’ actions.
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Find seasons 1-3 on Apps & Games > Netflix
Things are not what they appear in this series based on Lemony Snicket’s children’s books of the same name. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) takes on the role of eccentric villain Count Olaf, the “distant relative” of Baudelaire orphans Klaus (Louis Hynes, The Great), Violet (Malina Pauli Weissman, Supergirl) and Sunny (newcomer Presley Smith). Throughout the series the siblings constantly thwart Count Olaf’s attempts to steal their family fortune while having many adventures along the way.
The Virtues
Find series 1 on Apps & Games > All 4
Get ready for a compelling and emotional watch. This is England writing and directing team Jack Thorne and Shane Meadows reunite with Stephen Graham (Line Of Duty) in this gritty four-part series about redemption and revenge. When struggling addict Joseph’s life is turned upside down, he returns to Ireland to reconnect with his long-lost sister Anna (Helen Behan, Holding) while facing up to the repressed demons of his past.
When is Guilt series 3 on TV?
Series three of Guilt starts on Tuesday 25 April at 10pm on BBC Scotland HD (CH 108) and Thursday 27 April at 9pm on BBC Two HD (CH 102).
All four episodes of series three will be available from Tuesday 25 April on Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer.
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Image credits: Guilt © Expectation / Happy Tramp North / Anne Binckebanck