The second series of Doctor Foster ended on a explosive cliffhanger, as Gemma Foster (Suranne Jones) saved her ex husband Simon (Bertie Carvel)’s life, only to discover that their teenage son Tom (Tom Taylor) had run away from home.
And as fans took to social media platforms to discuss the tense hour of television, clamoring for a third series, the BBC have seemingly confirmed there won’t be another.
The official BBC One Twitter account posted a cryptic tweet hinting at the end of the series, writing, ‘Gone… but never, ever forgotten. Thank you for joining us for #DoctorFoster’.
‘Gone… but never, ever forgotten’: As fans took to social media platforms to discuss the Doctor Foster finale, clamoring for a third series, the BBC have seemingly confirmed there won’t be another
Fans were saddened by the news, with one posting, ‘Can’t believe there won’t be a s3!!! Noooo! It was brilliant!’.
Others insisted they wouldn’t be fooled by the tweet, joking, ‘Don’t you dare make it out like that was the last time we’ll see Doctor Foster and start begging for a third series. We want it’.
Another chimed in: ‘Pleeeeeease! We need a series 3 now and I hope it won’t take another 2 years.’
The tweet seems to confirm the recent comments made by show writer Mike Bartlett.
Dramatic: Viewers were left with their hearts in their mouths as the final episode of Doctor Foster ended in a dramatic cliffhanger following Simon’s attempts to commit suicide twice
Social media reaction: Fans were saddened by the news, while others believed it was just a ploy to keep viewers guessing
Speaking to The Sun, he said: ‘No, I haven’t written a third series. The BBC has never ever put pressure on us to do more and it’s not that sort of show.
‘You could see that at the end of series one. There was just as many people going, “Don’t do a series two”. It’s because people care and I love that.’
Show boss Mike insisted he would only write a third series if he felt compelled to tell more of Gemma’s story – which he doesn’t at present.
‘There’s a lot of trust that we’d only do more if there’s a story and a reason. So there’s no pressure to do more.’
MailOnline has contacted a BBC spokesperson for comment.
Shocking twist: While Gemma was focusing on her cheating ex, her teenage son Tom (Tom Taylor) ran away from home
The final episode of Doctor Foster saw the series end on a explosive cliffhanger – hinting at the possibility of a third series.
Viewers watched as Gemma delivered her final blows to Simon, setting him up to commit suicide and then saving his life with just seconds to spare.
But just as it looked like Gemma might get her happy ending she discovers that her son Tom has run away with his life seemingly in danger.
Fans of the epic BBC drama were left frustrated at the episode’s ending as Tom’s whereabouts remains unknown.
Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: ‘How can they actually leave it like that? I still have no answers ffs’.
Viewers of the finale of Doctor Foster were left frustrated by the episode’s cliff-hanger ending
Another infuriated viewer added: ‘No no no no!! You can not leave it like that #DoctorFoster no. You can not be serious.’
In light of the the unclear ending many viewers were quick to question whether there may be a third series as Simon and Gemma’s toxic relationship continues.
The episode kicked off where the penultimate installment ended, with Gemma looking like she’d knock her ex husband down, but she swerved at the last moment.
As the episode progressed it looked as though Gemma was finally moving on with her life Simon tracked her and Tom down and pleaded for his forgiveness, but Tom denied him.
Several viewers questioned whether the episode’s open ended finish could mean that a third series is on the way
During the episode Tom told his dad he didn’t want anything else to do with him and Simon said he’d be better off without a dad
Simon made one last ditch attempt to win Gemma back but despite his pleas she told him she’d be happier if he was dead.
It was a case of be careful what you wish for as the failed businessman was later seen just inches away from a busy motorway, threatening to take his own life.
After saving her estranged husband Gemma informed him that she and Tom wanted him out of their lives for good over a last supper in a service station cafe.
It was there that Simon finally revealed what he had told their son to make him hate Gemma – she had suffered from post natal depression and tried to abandon him as a baby.
It also transpired that Gemma’s parents died in a bad car accident after their car was crushed by a lorry.
The episode ended with Tom’s missing posters appearing online and stuck around the local area of Parminster
Plenty of viewers took to Twitter to share their sympathy for Tom following his parents actions in the final episode
Following Simon’s confession, Gemma fetched her medicine bag and wrote out a set of instructions for her ex to kill himself, so he could do it out of Tom’s sight.
Simon broke down in tears, telling his son: ‘I’m the problem in our family, I always have been. So you’re absolutely right, Tom, you’re so much better without me and when I’m gone I think you’ll feel a bit sad but not for long.
‘When my dad died I just felt relief that i didn’t have to worry about him anymore, that I didn’t have to try and predict what way he’d ruin my life next. When he died I cried but within an hour I felt so much better. That does happen, it can. I think you’re gonna feel that about me.’
Simon attempts to commit suicide for a second time by injecting himself with a cocktail of drugs
The drugs were provided by Gemma who left him with instructions on how to administer them
At this point many many viewers described how they had totally lost sympathy for Gemma instead turning their concern towards Tom.
Twitter user Sarah Packer wrote: ‘I don’t like it. Feel so so sorry for Tom.’
While Amy added: ‘Poor Tom would be traumatised for life if this was real!’
Viewers described the scene as ‘unbearable’ as they saw Simon push up his sleeves and almost press a needle to his arm.
Gemma rushed back into the room and talked him out of it, saying: ‘There is no painless way to die. The truth is we don’t know what it feels like but we do know that it’ll be nasty.
Gemma rushed to see if her son had tried to kill himself like his dad had done by walking onto the motorway
She reported her son missing and blamed herself for not noticing how depressed he was
‘If you do it you will be over, there is no coming back you will just stop.’
She managed to convince Simon to stay alive and went down to the car park to drive home, but was devastated to find that Tom wasn’t in the car – with Gemma coming to the conclusion that he had chosen to end his life in the way his father had attempted to do on the motorway.
After failing to find Tom, Gemma reports him missing revealing that she blames herself for not noticing how depressed he was.
The story jumped forward to when Gemma had returned to work and life carried on, but there were missing posters around Parminster, where they lived.
In a terrifying voice over, Gemma said: ‘The moment the blood rushes down out of your head it’s like suddenly falling, like something giving way.
‘It’s not like shock because there’s the horror that somehow you knew, underneath, without realising the horror.
The series ended with Gemma speaking directly into the camera, pleading with her son to come home
‘That this terrible thing was there, obvious the whole time, and you didn’t see it – and you know there’s no going back. Whatever life you had whatever you thought was so important now looks so naive. What you thought was the fight was merely the warning. Your biggest fear was nothing compared to this.
‘The weeks go past and people say it will get better but it doesn’t. You do everything anyone could but somehow you know it’s done, it’s happened, too late. He’s gone. You go over the past ,what you did, what you said, again and again and again.
‘What should you have done? Did you get it wrong from the start? You’ll never stop going over it and in the end all you can say is I’m here. ”Tom I’m your mum. I’m sorry and I’m here. I’ll always be here waiting when you want to come back, whenever you want to come back.’
Viewers were thrilled with the ending, with many believing that it meant a third series was coming.