Arabic version: دراما الطلاق التلفزيونية تعود إلى الواجهة

According to The Guardian, divorce is having a prominent television moment with the arrival of HBO legal thriller War on Sky Atlantic and the BBC drama The Split Up. There were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales last year, according to the Office for National Statistics, while about four in 10 marriages end in divorce.

War follows the break-up of Hollywood star Carla Duval, played by Sienna Miller, and tech billionaire Morgan Henderson, played by Dominic West. Their separation triggers a battle between rival law firms. Created by George Kay, the eight-part series is set in London, a city recognised for its specialist divorce practices, forensic accountants and private investigators.

The Guardian reported that English courts have a reputation for fairness, expertise and generosity towards the financially weaker party. It also noted that couples who divorced in 2025 had been married for an average of 13 years, the longest figure since records began in 1963. Jess Knauf of mediation service Mediate UK said longer marriages can involve a shared home, pensions and children, leaving more to resolve when couples separate.

Television has long drawn audiences to fictional break-ups. On Christmas Day 1986, 30.1 million viewers watched EastEnders character Den Watts give his wife Angie divorce papers, making it the most viewed British TV programme ever. Other memorable screen separations include Don and Betty Draper in Mad Men, Walter and Skyler White in Breaking Bad, and Ken and Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street.