The legal drama is based on Abi Morgan’s The Split and is set at a powerhouse British-South Asian family law firm in Manchester.

Filming got underway recently in Manchester on The Split Up, a legal drama based on Abi Morgan’s The Split and starring Sanjeev Bhaskar and Ritu Arya.

The six-part series is for delivery to BBC One, with the story and characters created by Ursula Rani Sarma. Sister produces in association with Little Chick; Morgan executive produces alongside Jane Featherstone, Bryony Arnold. Sarma and Nawfal Faizullah and it is co-executive produced by Shamim Sarif, who also directs.

Additional episodes are written by Sumerah Srivastav, Kaamil Shah and Sonali Bhattacharyya. The series is directed by Sarif and Khurrum M Sultan. Natasha Romaniuk produces and Kasheina Vencatasawmy is associate producer. BBC Studios is handling global sales.

Set in the highly-charged world of Manchester’s high net-worth divorce circuit, The Split Up centres on Kishan Law – a powerhouse British-South Asian family firm, and the go-to for the city’s elite.

The supporting cast includes Aysha Kala, Arian Nik, Shalini Peiris, Danny Ashok, Dimitri Leonidas, Tom Forbes, Mawaan Rizwan, Sindhu Vee, Lenny Henry, and Jane Horrocks.

Morgan said of the spin-off: “The chance to take all that was loved about The Split and use it to inspire the next generation of British South Asian talent, to create a new family of dynamic lawyers spilling over with all the messiness of life, both personally and professionally, has been a brilliant challenge, beautifully realised by lead writer Ursula Rani Sama. I hope audiences will take it to their hearts.”

Director of BBC drama, Lindsay Salt, added: “We’re thrilled to announce this outstanding cast for The Split Up led by Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Abi Morgan’s The Split is one of our most loved dramas and in The Split Up Ursula Rani Sarma has superbly created a new family of Manchester lawyers whose professional and personal lives will keep viewers hooked.”

The start of production coincides with the BBC marking 60 years of South Asian programming this month.