The drama has been hailed the "best of British TV" after the first two seasons, with a third set to air.21:07, 26 May 2026Updated 21:08, 26 May 2026Sherwood writer James Graham has teased a third season of the hit drama, which has been hailed “best of British TV” and a “masterpiece” by fans.‌The crime drama, filmed in Nottinghamshire, is set to return, six months after a heavy conclusion.‌Having first aired in 2022 and starring David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, Lindsay Duncan and Lorraine Ashbourne, season two of Sherwood picked up from a series of dramatic crossbow murders in the Nottinghamshire mining village, where locals had to deal with the trauma remaining from the 1980s miners’ strikes.‌It followed tensions with police and a broken community, with divides from resurfaced rivalries, local gangs and revenge plans.The dramatic feuds between the Branson and Sparrow families came to an end, as Daphne Sparrow (Lorraine Ashbourne) watched Ann Branson (Monica Dolan), the matriarch of her criminal family, disappear into the depths of the reservoir.‌The third season is now set to follow a new family at its core, with writer James confirming filming has concluded.He told The Radio Times Writers’ Room , speaking about the A-list cast: “It's almost like they come from a tradition where they really, really care about socially minded, politically minded TV drama.”He continued: “That drama is not just confection; it's about understanding community and the pressures in the community.”‌Teasing season three, James went on: “We have a brand new family that I put through a brand new trauma, and we really put these guys through the wringer, but it's very exciting, led by Rosalie Craig, who was just in Riot Women, Joe Dempsie, who people remember from Skins, but like great Nottingham actors to tell a Nottinghamshire story."The BBC had previously teased in a press release: “The Wood family is the picture of working-class respectability – pillars of the community, volunteers at the local church, with Zoe Wood, in particular, a passionate campaigner on behalf of her town.‌“Husband Alex Wood is overseeing construction of the new Gotham housing estate which is being built in the shadows of Sherwood Forest, and where they live with their kids and Zoe’s parents, Irene and Eric Bostall, as the estate’s first residents.“Meanwhile, DI Zara Gill is leading the operation into identifying the numerous human remains that were found in the reservoir during the recovery operation following Ann’s drowning.“The trail leads to several missing people linked to the Bransons' criminal activities but one specific discovery unexpectedly leads back to the Bostall family.‌“Forty years after he first went missing, the body of Arthur Bostall is unearthed from Nottingham’s ancient caves, and a series of unnerving questions begins to arise over who killed him and why.“As the Wood and Bostall families find themselves being forced to look back into the past, events in the present conspire to uncover more buried secrets for the family and the wider community alike.”‌Riot Women’s Rosalie Craig, Game of Thrones star Joe Dempsie, The Sandman’s Kirby Howell-Baptiste, The Royle Family’s Sue Johnston and Another Year actor Peter Wight are all set to join Sherwood season three, with Rosalie and Joe in the leading roles as Zoe and Alex, while Sue and Peter play her parents and Kirby joins as DI Zara Gill.Sherwood fans have admitted to being “hooked” from the first moments of the drama, which critics have branded a "masterpiece", with one fan calling it “the best of British drama” and writing: “An absolute must see.”Another called it a “British masterclass in drama”, while someone else called it “the BBC at its best”.Article continues below“Unmissable British drama,” yet another said, as several echoed “utterly superb”.Sherwood is available to watch on BBC iPlayer