Stephen Merchant teases "emotional" Outlaws finale and addresses show future
Is this the end of the line?
The Outlaws creator and star Stephen Merchant has teased an "emotional" ending to the third season, which could potentially be the last of the hit comedy-drama.
The brand new episodes, which launch on BBC One and iPlayer today, return to the eclectic group of community service workers as they tend to a local farm – oh yes, and bury a dead body that Rani (Rhianne Barreto) unceremoniously dumps on them.
Questions remain over how exactly the individual died and whether the gang will be able to escape the terrifying revenge of The Dean (Claes Bang), the ruthless gangster that they put behind bars in season 2.
At a launch event for the new episodes, Merchant assured there would still be time for the usual character growth, which paves the way for a tear-jerking potential send-off.
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"That's always the pleasure for me: can you involve people emotionally? One minute, they can be digging a hole for a body, but you do have to come back to the emotional core of these characters," he explained.
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"[For example, Darren Boyd’s character] is trying to sort of turn his life around, he's listening to self-help apps and things like that, and the will they/won’t they romance [between Rani and Ben] which I've done before, and that's always a pleasurable well to go to."
That last comment seems to be a nod to The Office (UK)'s Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis), who are surely one of the most compelling romances in British sitcom history.
Rani and Ben (Gamba Cole) have also had a bumpy ride, with the season 2 finale seeing the former Oxford hopeful break bad, by walking out on her Bristolian beau as he attempts to turn over a new leaf in Weston-super-Mare.
Merchant continued: "Hopefully, by the end of the series, it's quite an emotional pay-off, I think. And hopefully, it'll bring a tear to the eye."
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Barreto commented: "There's so many aspects of the show that I'm really proud of, but for me, that relationship between [Rani and Ben] is the most important thing to me, because it's it's kind of the heart of the show.
"Especially the last episode, I think people will be really moved by it. I'm really proud of what we've done with the last episode. Hopefully you'll cry!"
So, both star and creator are keeping fingers crossed for a teary audience – but does that mean this is the end of the line for The Outlaws?
Merchant answered: "Well, give yourself that option. But never say never. I think once you've finished a show, you’re so exhausted that the idea of thinking of how you would bring them all back seems quite overwhelming. But we've shown that you can do it."
The Outlaws is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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