BBC Worldwide North America and PBS Announce Third Season of Critically Acclaimed Drama "LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX" to Debut on Sunday, June 28, 2015 on PBS

BAFTA Award-Winning Love Story From Red Production Company Attracted An Average Audience of More Than 2.4 Million Viewers in Its Second Season on PBS, Further Solidifying PBS as the Home for Quality Drama on Sunday Nights

Series Lead Derek Jacobi Also Returns in PBS Comedy VICIOUS, Season Two, Premiering in August 2015

ARLINGTON, VA; APRIL 22, 2015 -- BBC Worldwide North America Sales & Co-productions and PBS announced today that the critically acclaimed British drama LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX will return for a third season in the U.S., premiering June 28, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS. The six-part series leads into the second episode of the MASTERPIECE romantic drama POLDARK and the second episode of "The Crimson Field," continuing PBS' role as the home for drama on Sunday nights.

Written by Sally Wainwright ("Scott & Bailey" "Unforgiven," "At Home With the Braithwaites") and directed by Euros Lyn ("Black Mirror," "Sherlock") and Jill Robertson ("Law & Order: UK"), LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX tells the story of love-struck septuagenarians Alan (Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) who rediscover their love for each other later in life - 60 years, in fact, after they first met. The heart-warming series, which was rated "utterly charming" by Buzzfeed, was the BBC's highest-rated new mid-week drama of 2012, regularly attracting more than seven million viewers with its captivating mix of effervescent humor and moving drama. Made by Red Production Company for the BBC, LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX is produced by Karen Lewis, with Nicola Shindler, Sally Wainwright and Matthew Read as the executive producers.

As the series returns, Celia and Alan are planning to make the most of their time together when a surprise visitor stops them in their tracks. Caroline and Kate settle into married life and look forward to motherhood, Kate begins her third trimester and a devastating event shocks everyone. Old habits come back to haunt Gillian as she grapples with following her head over her heart.

"LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX continues to surprise viewers with exciting storylines and funny anecdotes," said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. "We are excited to continue our relationship with Red Production and the BBC with another season of Alan and Celia."

"The viewer response to LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX on PBS, our long-standing partner on comedy and dramas, has been wonderful and we're looking forward to a successful third season," said Matt Forde, EVP, Sales & Co-productions, BBC Worldwide North America.

In addition to Jacobi (The King's Speech, "The Borgias," My Week With Marilyn) and Reid ("Upstairs, Downstairs," "Marchlands"), LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX features Sarah Lancashire ("Five Daughters," "Wuthering Heights," "Inspector George Gently") as Caroline, Nicola Walker ("Inside Men," "Spooks," "Being Human") as Gillian, Tony Gardner ("Fresh Meat," "My Parents Are Aliens") as John, Dean Andrews ("Life on Mars," "Ashes to Ashes," "Marchlands") as Robbie, Nina Sosanya ("Silk," "Five Days," "Hustle") as Kate, Ronni Ancona ("Skins," "Big Impression") as Judith and Josh Bolt ("Shameless," Nowhere Boy) as Raff.

Full episodes of LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX will be available for viewing on the PBS Video Portal for a limited time after each national broadcast.

About PBS

PBS, with over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 103 million people through television and over 33 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices.

About BBC Worldwide North America

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) operating in the U.S. and Canada. The company exists to maximize the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the UK license payer and invests in public service programming in return for rights. The company operates channels, a production arm, consumer products and a digital business, in addition to handling sales and co-productions. Under these businesses fall two key brands in the U.S. - digital cable channel BBC AMERICA and BBC Worldwide Productions, the production arm responsible for the smash hit "Dancing with the Stars."

About Red Production Company

Red Production Company is one of the UK's leading independent drama producers. Since 1998, Red has worked with the UK's leading writers including Russell T Davies, Paul Abbott and Sally Wainwright on productions such as "Queer as Folk" (C4), "Clocking Off" (BBC1), "Bob & Rose" (ITV), "Scott & Bailey" (ITV), "Hit & Miss" (Sky Living) and "Last Tango in Halifax" (BBC1). For more information, visit www.redproductioncompany.com, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube or "Like" us on Facebook.