Kate Robbins joins cast of After Life season 3

Alongside the image she wrote, "So pleased to announce I’ve joined the amazing cast of #Afterlife3. First day filming today with @rickygervais. And what a laugh it was!"

The nature of Robbins' role on the Netflix show is not yet clear, but she joins an already star-studded cast which also includes Kerry Godliman, Penelope Wilton, Ashley Jensen, Tom Basden, Tony Way, David Earl, Joe Wilkinson, Mandeep Dhillon, Jo Hartley, Roisin Conaty, Diane Morgan and Ethan Lawrence.

Filming on the series officially got underway on Monday, with Netflix posting a picture of a delighted Gervais holding a clapperboard, but it is not clear how long the shoot will last.

After Life marks the first time Gervais has written a third series for one of his sitcoms, with The Office, Extras and Derek all having ended after their second runs.

Speaking just before the series was renewed last year, he told RadioTimes.com and other press, “For the first time ever, I would do a series three, because the world’s so rich. I love the characters, I love all the actors in it, I love my character, I love the town, I love the themes… I love the dog!

“So I would do a third, but it’s got to be a real demanded-for encore. I’m not gonna just do it. I wouldn’t do it for the sake of it. I wouldn’t do it just to get paid, or because they [Netflix] want another three hours on their platform. It’s got to be that people really want more.”

And clearly, people did want more – the second series shot to the top of Netflix’s ranking chart in numerous regions after it was released in 2020.

After Life seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix – check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide. You can also visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.