2023: THE YEAR AHEAD IN DRAMA

A look ahead at some of the dramas airing in the year to come.

Happy Valley, BBC One

Sarah Lancashire will return to her iconic role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood for six new episodes, long discussed by Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire as the final chapter of the Happy Valley story

Waterloo Road, BBC One

Across the term, Waterloo Road’s teachers and parents are going to have to learn on their feet as they try to navigate the ever changing social landscape - from teen homelessness to the cost of living, being LGBTQ+, racism, sexism, mental health and everything else facing young teens today

The Gold, BBC One

On the 26 November 1983, six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat security depot near London’s Heathrow Airport, and inadvertently stumbled across gold bullion worth £26m.

Beyond Paradise, BBC One

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton reunite to star in Beyond Paradise. Seeking a quieter life away from the stress of the city, Humphrey has taken a job as Detective Inspector in fiancée Martha’s hometown.

Great Expectations, BBC One

Steven Knight is to adapt Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations for BBC One and FX for a six-part limited series adaptation, teaming up with producers Ridley Scott and Tom Hardy following last year’s hit limited series A Christmas Carol.

Blue Lights, BBC One

Blue Lights is an original police drama, telling the story of rookie (probationary) police officers working in contemporary Belfast, a city in which being a frontline response cop comes with a unique set of pressures and dangers.

The Sixth Commandment, BBC One

The Sixth Commandment tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall), and a charismatic student, Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory

Rain Dogs, BBC One

Starring Daisy May Cooper, Rain Dogs is a wild and punky tale of a mother’s love for her daughter, of deep-rooted and passionate friendships, and of brilliance thwarted by poverty and prejudice.

Doctor Who, BBC One

With David Tennant back as the Doctor, three specials will air in November 2023 before Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the TARDIS over the festive season.

Nolly, ITVX

Nolly explores the all-powerful reign, and fall from grace, of the inimitable Noele Gordon, TV legend and Queen of the Midlands, darling of the establishment until it turned on her and betrayed her.

Stonehouse, ITV1

The three-part drama relates how Stonehouse, a high-flying member of Harold Wilson’s Government, vanished from the beach of a large luxury hotel in Florida in November 1974, leaving a neat pile of clothes as he swam into the sea, intent on faking his own death.

Maternal, ITV1

The six-part series is about three female doctors returning to post-pandemic frontline medicine after maternity leave and having to heroically balance the intense demands of the NHS and motherhood.

Unforgotten, ITV1

The series opens with the clock ticking down to DCI James’s first day in her new job with an unforeseen and devastating introduction to her family life. Determined to make a good first impression with her new colleagues, will Jess be in the right frame of mind to deliver and inspire the team?

The Bay, ITV1

Marsha stars alongside series regulars Daniel Ryan (Innocent, Crossfire), Erin Shanagher (Peaky Blinders, Censor), Thomas Law (The World’s End, A Cinderella Story) and Andrew Dowbiggin (Cobra, Coronation Street). The series also sees the return of Barry Sloane (Six, Revenge), Georgia Scholes (Hollyoaks), David Carpenter and Emme Haynes

Six Four, ITVX

Inspired by the best-selling novel Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama, the drama is set primarily in Glasgow, and is a dark and compelling story of kidnap, corruption, betrayal and an uncompromising search for the truth, when Chris and Michelle O’Neill’s teenage daughter goes missing

Screw, Channel 4

After the tragic events of the series one finale, the team of embattled prison officers, led by Leigh Henry are determined to make a fresh start. But as those behind the cell doors of C Wing know only too well, moving on isn’t always simple.

Before We Die, Channel 4

Season two will not follow the same storyline of the original Swedish series, but will see Hannah pitched directly against Dubravka, played by Kazia Pelka (World's End, Casualty) the matriarch at the head of the Mimica Croatian crime family.