Homeland's final season delayed until 2020

It was previously scheduled to bow out in Autumn this year, with Channel 4 owning the broadcasting rights to the Showtime series.

The decision to delay the show was announced at the Television Critics Association press tour, with Showtime’s president of entertainment Gary Levine explaining it was due to the “ambitious production schedule” of the final series and not any on-set tensions.

“Homeland is an ambitious series — especially in its final season,” he explained. “[Showrunner] Alex [Gansa] wants to go out proudly, and that has involved production in multiple countries at times and in places that have some issues. It just takes time.

“There have been no missteps. It’s been a relatively smooth process. But it’s a very ambitious production schedule and it has taken more time than we [anticipated].”

Homeland season eight will see Carrie (played by Claire Danes) recovering from months of brutal confinement in Russia, an experience which has left her with extremely fractured memories.

Saul is now National Security Advisor to President Warner, and the top priority of the White House is ending the war in Afghanistan. Saul has been sent to take charge of peace negotiations with the Taliban but Kabul is full of warlords, mercenaries, zealots and spies – and the one person Saul needs to help him is Carrie.

Against the doctor’s orders, Saul asks her to go on one final mission with him.

The final series will see Hugh Dancy joining the show as shrewd Washington consultant John Zabe.

Danes has said previously that she feels “really conflicted” about Homeland finally drawing to a close – but will welcome the break from the intense series.

“I mean, I’ll be ready,” the 39-year-old added in an interview with Howard Stern. “She’s a lot, this Carrie-freakin’ Mathieson character. It’s a workout, so I’ll be ready for a reprieve from that.”

Homeland is thought to return in February 2020