Season three of BBC’s The Outlaws has been hailed ‘brilliant’ by viewers who have binge-watched all five episodes.
The series – created by Stephen Merchant – sees a group of misfits in Bristol who attempt to keep out of trouble after finishing community service sentences, having previously fallen foul of the law.
Having had a two-year wait since the second series, fans were delighted that the programme had returned at a high standard, singling out Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning for ‘stealing the show.’
She stars in the series alongside the likes of Rhianne Barreto, Christopher Walken, Gamba Cole and Eleanor Tomlinson.
Fans wrote on X, former Twitter: ‘best season yet ♥️ Jessica gunning #theoutlaws’; ‘Jessica Gunning is a phenomenal actress. Stealing the show again. #TheOutlaws’;
Season three of BBC ‘s The Outlaws has been hailed ‘brilliant’ by viewers (L-R Clare Perkins, Stephen Mechant, Darren Boyd, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole and Jessica Gunning)
Having had a two-year wait since the second series, fans were delighted that the programme had returned at a high standard, singling out Baby Reindeer star Jessica for ‘stealing the show’
‘Jessica Gunning is fantastic! She’s has be howling! quality actress!! #TheOutLaws’; ‘If you enjoyed seeing Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer, I would highly recommend #TheOutlaws where Jessica (and the entire cast) are an absolute treat to watch’.
Others were quick to compliment Stephen for his work, tweeting: ‘Binged every episode of #TheOutlaws last night. Loved every minute. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. Such a good show, definitely worth your time. And so visually beautiful, too. Great work @StephenMerchant and everyone involved.’;
‘I’ve just binged all 5 episodes of the third series of #TheOutlaws on the BBC iPlayer. Bloody fantastic – both suspenseful and funny. I laughed my head off. Stephen Merchant is a genius.’;
‘This fast-paced crime comedy is great fun, all of the characters are entertaining and work really well together. Eleanor Tomlinson and Stephen Merchant make a cracking double act.’;
‘This new series of #TheOutlaws has got me in stitches. @StephenMerchant’; ‘I like that they took an ending of the season that seemed like a show ending and turned it into a running gag in this season. Worked out really well #TheOutlaws’
‘Such a fab programme, episode 1 of series 3 didn’t disappoint #TheOutlaws’; ‘Oh it’s great to have it back, like welcoming old friends under the picturesque background of my home City welcome back outlaws and thank you Stephen for another great start to the series! #TheOutLaws’;
‘Did not disappoint! #TheOutlaws’; ‘How can #theoutlaws be as good for a third series? It certainly is though. The sharpest of writing and brilliant performance’; ‘Brilliant as ever #TheOutlaws.’
Stephen, 49, previously revealed that he made the brutal decision to cut his parents from the third season.
Part of the inspiration for the series came from his mum and dad, who worked as Community Payback Supervisors.
The series – created by Stephen Merchant – sees a group of misfits in Bristol who attempt to keep out of trouble after finishing community service sentences
Stephen, 49, was praised for creating the show and previously revealed that he made the brutal decision to cut his parents from the third season
Yet after casting his mother and father as extras, he revealed that he cut all of their dialogue in the final edit.
He told The Sun: ‘They did have a little bit of dialogue, which unfortunately I had to cut, I don’t think I’ve told them yet!’
‘Not because of their performance but because of time. My mother will be like: ‘We want to be extras, why can’t we be extras?’
However, his mother still makes the cut in one clip, as they appear on the computer screen of his character, the socially awkward lawyer Greg Dillard, as he attends business meetings.
He added that the character of Dianne, who is played by Baby Reindeer star Jessica, was inspired by his mother, something that Steven said she was very happy to hear.
Stephen also said that his mother was extremely nervous after having initially been cast as an extra in the show, whereas his father was keen and ‘gung-ho’ after being on set for his son’s show.
Speaking to BBC News about his mother’s role as a community supervisor, Stephen said she was often cautious, as he recalled: ‘My mother was always careful, she would say, ”I can’t tell you about specific cases…” as if it was sensitive information and I couldn’t be trusted.
‘But here and there, not naming names, she would talk about some of the people that came through the doors. I was always intrigued because it was such a mix of people.’
The Outlaws airs Thursday nights at 9pm on BBC1 One, with the whole season is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video.
The Outlaws airs Thursday nights at 9pm on BBC1 One, with the whole season is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video