Blue Lights series 4: BBC One confirms Richard Dormer set to return as beloved (but very dead) Gerry Cliff
Expect more brilliant episodes in 2026
Blue Lights fans will be thrilled to learn that a series 4 has been confirmed, and now the BBC has revealed some surprising news about the 2026 episodes.
The brilliant police drama, set in politically turbulent Belfast, thrilled fans with new episodes at the end of September 2025. And series 4 will follow this year.
And we can expect more of the same. Here’s everything we know so far about Blue Lights series 4 on BBC One. We’ve been careful not to include any spoilers for series 3.
Is there a series 4 of Blue Lights?
Blue Lights series 3 was every bit as good as the previous two series… So viewers will be pleased to know there’s at least another series incoming.
BBC One has confirmed that they have recommissioned a series 4 of the hit Belfast police drama. And we don’t see any reason at all why the drama can’t run and run for years. It has already escaped the dreaded series 2 curse, where the second run failed to live up to the first. See The Last of Us, Squid Game, and Nine Perfect Strangers for examples.
If co-creators and writers Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson carry on writing as well as this, we could watch until the end of time.
Unsurprisingly, series 1 became one of the top 10 new drama series of 2023 across all broadcasters and streamers. It’s also one of the biggest drama series in Northern Ireland.
‘A gripping drama about ordinary people doing an extraordinary job’
The BBC has ordered at least one more six-part series of the critically acclaimed Belfast-based police drama Blue Lights.
They described the drama as “an authentic, gripping and darkly funny drama about ordinary people doing an extraordinary job”.
Series 1, which aired in 2023 to critical acclaim, introduced three new PSNI probationary recruits Annie, Tommy, and Grace. Together with more experienced frontline response cops, they worked one of the hardest beats in the UK – Belfast, a city with unique pressures and dangers.
Series 2, which aired in 2024, reintroduced the three rookie coppers a year into the job. This time, the team faced a drug-fuelled crime wave that led them into a loyalist estate.
The 2025 series 3 met the Belfast police response officers two years into their jobs. While Grace, Annie and Tommy were accustomed to life under the blue lights, their work continued to be challenging – and dangerous.
The synopsis told us: “Their work takes them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, the world of the accountants and lawyers who facilitate organised crime.
“The old political and criminal order has gone and a new global gang rule Belfast, bringing danger closer to home for our officers than ever before.”
How many episodes is Blue Lights series 4?
The next series of Blue Lights will be six episodes of an hour long.
This follows the exact format of the previous three seasons.
How can I watch Blue Lights?
Blue Lights series 1 to 3 are currently all available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
That’s 18 hours of gripping police drama right there.
Who will return in the cast?
BBC One has now confirmed the cast for series 4 of the BAFTA award winning BBC series. And there’s a pretty exciting returning cast member…
Richard Dormer will be back as Gerry Cliff for a special episode which aims to “answer important questions from the past”. Of course, fans will know the popular character was tragically murdered in the first season of the critically acclaimed Belfast police drama. His death continues to affect the team, not least his widow Sandra.
Season 4 follows the murder trial of his character. The BBC tells us the “murder trial of Gerry Cliff exposes a dangerous and long-buried secret that leads to chaos both inside the police, and across the criminal underworld”.
The new episodes will also see the return of other familiar faces, including Hannah McClean, and Jonathan Harden as disgraced former Inspector Jonty.
Nick Lambon, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, UK & Northern Ireland, said: “Gerry Cliff was such an integral part of series one so to have Richard Dormer back alongside our talented cast is a dream come true. We are over the moon to be back filming in Belfast, and with so many twists and turns in store, fans of Blue Lights have plenty to look forward to.”
Also returning in the cast are regulars, including:
- Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis.
- Martin McCann as Stevie Neil.
- Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon.
- Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster.
- Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally.
- Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff.
- Frank Blake as Shane Bradley.
- Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling.
- Abigail McGibbon as Tina.
- Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling.
- Andrea Irvine as Nicola.
What’s the plot of Blue Lights series 4?
Now three years into their careers as response officers, Constables Grace Ellis, Tommy Foster, and Annie Conlon are operating at their limit, facing a new threat on the streets that the police can barely control.
The synopsis says: “As they grapple with big decisions about their future, Grace, Tommy and Annie must find the courage to face the greatest threat they have ever encountered: the truth.”
Co-creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson said: “We’re very excited to bring this series of Blue Lights to audiences. It reveals a lot of dark secrets, examines what justice looks like in Belfast today, and ties together the past, present, and futures of Grace, Annie and Tommy in an action-packed story. We can’t wait to start filming it!”
It’s early days to know much more about the plot, but the Beeb previously teased some “brilliant ideas”.
BBC Director of Drama Lindsay Salt said: “We were bowled over by the reaction to Blue Lights and I’m really pleased to be confirming our commitment to bring more series of our beloved Belfast drama to air.
“Adam and Declan have brilliant ideas about where to take the characters next and I can’t wait for viewers to see what’s in store.”
More details including the cast and plot for series 4 of Blue Lights will be announced in due course.
