“Compelling” and “spectacular” star-studded drama confirms BBC UK return in January with first look

High-stake financial drama Industry is returning early next year as new first-look images give a glimpse into what Myha’la Herrold and Kit Harington’s characters are up to in season 4. The HBO and BBC One has become a hit over the past few years after flying under the radar with its first season, released in 2020.

Initially centred on London investment bank Pierpoint, Industry follows the anxiety-inducing lives of a team of young analysts led by Herrold’s talented New York expat, Harper Stern.

As season 4 is set to premiere in January 2026, a round of first-look images show Harper living her best life as she decided to launch a new hedge fund based in New York.

Meanwhile, Harington’s Lumi boss, Sir Henry Muck, doesn’t seem to be faring so well. Season 3 ended with his engagement to Yasmin (Marisa Abela), who’s in love with Rob (Harry Lawtey), now long gone to pursue his dream to start a psilocybin startup.

BBC

BBC

BBC

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Season 4 also sees a host of new players coming into the picture, namely the team at payment processing startup Tender.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka, How I Met Your Mother’s Kal Penn and The Handmaid’s Tale star Max Minghella are set to play Tender executive assistant Haley Clay and the startup’s co-founders, Jay Jonah Atterbury and Whitney Halberstram.

BBC

BBC

BBC

Making their Industry debut on season 4 are also Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton as financial journalist Jim Dycker, Amy James-Kelly as Labour minister Jennifer Bevan and Ted Lasso star Toheeb Jimoh as Kwabena Bannerman.

BBC

BBC

BBC

The new hires join a stacked cast, including Harper’s former boss Eric Tao (Ken Leung), Rishi Ramdani (Sagar Radia) and Sweetpea Golightly (Miriam Petche).

Season 3 has a near-perfect critics’ score of 98% Rotten Tomatoes, where the show has been branded as “spectacular” (via The Daily Beast).

BBC

BBC

BBC

Elsewhere, The Upcoming wrote: “Although the sheer power of the high-stakes drama onscreen verges on becoming pure melodrama, there’s enough entertainment in the ensuing insanity to make this latest season of Industry a compelling watch.”

On a similar note, The Times called the series “horribly addictive” in its writing, acting, and the “sheer grinding desolation and nihilism of it”.

If this sounds up your street and you haven’t watched Industry just yet, you can catch up on the first three seasons as a twisty, if not especially cosy, binge over the holidays.

Industry season 4 premieres on 11 January 2026 on HBO in the US and January on BBC One, with an exact release date yet to be confirmed for the UK. The first three seasons are available to stream on iPlayer for viewers based in the UK.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).