Sex, stress and wild ambition: more is more in the BBC and HBO show’s third chapter

Industry, the taut BBC-HBO sex and drug-fuelled finance drama, has returned for its third season, with new episodes currently being released in the US.

And it looks set to be another humdinger: the dark and thrilling series follows a group of graduates competing for power and permanent positions at Pierpoint & Co, a prestigious investment bank in London. Season three promises more sex, stress, and edge-of-your-seat drama.

Frequently compared to Succession, described by one reviewer as “Tory Skins”, the show has won over critics and viewers alike since its 2020 premiere, picking up two Welsh BAFTA nominations and two Royal Television Society Craft & Design awards.

While we wait for the UK arrival of season three – which is set be released later this year – here’s everything to know about the show.

When is the new season of Industry going to be released?

Myha’la and Sarah Goldberg in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Simon Ridgway

It’s the question on everyone’s lips, particularly after season three premiered in the US in August. British fans of the show have been fuming, having to wait and watch, while American fans chew over every new episode online: “The fact that Industry s3 is already on in the US and we have to wait ages to get it in the UK is so jarring,” said one on X. “Surely in 2024 there’s a way to avoid this.”

The months-long wait is particularly infuriating for British fans because Industry, a collaboration between the BBC One and HBO, is set in London. Much of the cast are British, it’s produced by Cardiff-based production company Bad Wolf, and its writers, Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, are both British.

All we know about the UK release date at the moment is that season three will premiere on BBC and iPlayer later this year.

Is there a trailer?

Marisa Abela and Harry Lawtey in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Simon Ridgway

Yes, HBO released a two-minute trailer back in July with a tagline of ‘Everyone is collateral’ – oo err. We’ve popped the tantalising clip, which is nearly impossible to watch without your stomach churning with anxiety, at the top of the page.

What do we know about season three’s plot?

Ken Leung, Elena Saurel and Kit Harington in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Simon Ridgway

We know a lot: after all, one quick sweep of the internet and you can find a deep dive into every single new episode. But we’ll assume that you don’t want a blow-by-blow of the upcoming drama, wishing instead to watch it as it unfolds.

The general arc of the third season, however, is as follows, with the official synopsis saying: “In season three, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin, Robert, and Eric find themselves front and centre in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck, in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government.

“Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig.”

Yasmin is an ambitious and talented graduate from an incredibly wealthy background, initially assigned to the Foreign Exchange Sales (FX). Robert is an Oxford graduate from a working-class Welsh background – he’s assigned to Cross Product Sales (CPS).

Eric is the CPS managing director, and Harper is from Binghamton, New York: she is also initially assigned to the CPS desk.

Who is going to be in the Industry cast?

Kit Harington and Marisa Abela in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Simon Ridgway

In season three Game of Thrones star Kit Harington joins the cast, playing Sir Henry Muck, the CEO of green tech energy company Lumi. Sarah Goldberg, known for paying Sally Reed in Barry, will play portfolio manager Petra Koenig in the new series.

Then, much of the old crew is back: Harper (Myha’la), Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), Eric (Ken Leung), Rishi Ramdani (Sagar Radia) and Venetia Berens (Indy Lewis) are all returning in the show’s third chapter.

Who has made the show?

Sagar Radia and Ken Leung in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions/HBO/Nick Strasburg

The show is made by Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, both of whom worked in finance for a short time after graduating from university: “At one point, my friend, who worked in the same place as me, said: ‘Mickey, you realise you don’t actually like finance – you like finance films.’ Which makes total sense now,” said Down to The Gentleman’s Journal.

The two friends, who have known each other since they were 17, realised they were passionate about writing and started working together. These early collaborations eventually turned into Industry (they previously sold nine other TV shows – Industry was the first to make it to the small screen).

“Hopefully, we’ll get to write this show for a while,” said Kay to The Guardian in 2022. “Which will mean we can show how and why these people have suppressed so much of what is good in them. Selfishness and self-destruction are human qualities and everybody has the capacity for both, even if they don’t like to see that reflected back at them.”

What have the critics said about Industry?

Harry Lawtey and Kit Harington in Industry season three
BBC/Bad Wolf Productions//HBO/Nick Strasburg

Industry has picked up mostly glowing reviews for all three of its seasons, which seems to be going from strength to strength. Season one was described as “taut drama you can bank on” by The Guardian and its second series, “appallingly compelling” by The Times.

“Season two is still genuinely thrilling,” said the Standard. “Industry is an exploration of power in its many guises: money and sex, most obviously — but also class, and privilege.”

Its third season has so far been described by US critics as “dark, addictive” and “deliciously deplorable” and an “enthralling trip to the bank”.

Industry season three will premiere on BBC and iPlayer later this year