Edinburgh’s dark comic thriller Guilt to return for final series

Scotland’s booming film and TV sector is set for another major boost after a third and final series of the acclaimed Edinburgh-set crime drama Guilt was ordered.

Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, the Scottish actors who were at school together in Leith, will be reunited as brothers Max and Jake for a story said to be packed with Guilt’s “trademark twists and turns”.

Filming will begin later this year on the four-part finale of Neil Forsyth’s darkly comic crime thriller, the first drama to be commissioned for BBC Scotland’s new channel.

The first series followed the travails of Max and Jake as they are drawn into the city's criminal underworld after their panicked attempts to cover up the death of a man they ran over on their way back from a wedding.

It was watched by more than three million people across the UK and was nominated for six BAFTA Scotland Awards in 2020.

The show’s star-studded cast across the two series has included Emun Elliott, Bill Paterson,

Ruth Bradley, Michale Nardone, Greg Mchugh, Stuart Bowman, Sara Vickers and Phyllis Logan.

An official announcement on the third series revealed that it would pick up where the last episode ended, with Max arriving in Chicago, where Jake was attempting to live a new life.

It states: “As they return to Scotland, it becomes apparent the welcome they receive isn’t as warm or as straightforward as they might have hoped.

"As they battle threats both old and new, it remains to be seen whether they get the happy ending they crave or whether life conspires against them one more time.”

Forsyth said: “We always saw Guilt as a trilogy, so I am thrilled to be writing a final act for Max, Jake and some of the others we have met along the way.

"It is a story that will range from Chicago to Scotland, as our characters seek a final redemption.”

BBC Comedy director Jon Petrie added: "Guilt is a Scottish gem that we couldn’t resist bringing back for a third series. Neil really has encapsulated the perfect ending to round off max and Jake’s story.”