THE YEAR AHEAD IN DRAMA, NEW AND RETURNING TITLES REVEALED

The new and returning drama titles airing in 2026...

 THE NIGHT MANAGER

Jonathan Pine thought he’d buried his past. Now living as Alex Goodwin - a low-level MI6 officer running a quiet surveillance unit in London - his life is comfortingly uneventful. Then one night a chance sighting of an old Roper mercenary prompts a call to action and leads Pine to a violent encounter with a new player: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos.

 LORD OF THE FLIES

The story of a group of young schoolchildren who find themselves stranded on a tropical island with no adults, following a deadly plane crash. In an attempt to remain civil, the boys organise themselves, led by Ralph and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy. But Jack, who is in charge of signal fire duty, is more interested in hunting and vying for leadership and soon begins to draw other boys away from the order of the group and, ultimately, from hope to tragedy.

 WAITING FOR THE OUT

BAFTA nominated Josh Finan (The Responder) leads the cast as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison. Each week, Dan leads discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that have troubled philosophers for thousands of years – topics that gain a new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes - both igniting passions and creating tension.

 LYNLEY

Tommy Lynley is a brilliant police detective but an outsider in the force – simply by virtue of his aristocratic upbringing. He is paired with Barbara Havers, a sergeant with a maverick attitude and a working-class background. With seemingly nothing in common and against all odds, the mismatched duo of Lynley and Havers become a formidable team, bonded by their desire to see justice done.

 THE WALSH SISTERS

The series revolves around characters from five of the novels by Marian Keyes, one of the most successful Irish novelists of all time, including international bestsellers Rachel’s Holiday and Anybody Out There. Marian’s many accolades include five Irish Book Awards and being named Author of the Year at the prestigious British Book Awards in 2022. Since her first novel was published in 1995, more than 39 million copies of Keyes’ books have been sold around the world, translated into 36 languages.

 DEAR ENGLAND

Dear England is a new four-part drama series about Gareth Southgate and the England men’s football team. It’s time to change the game. The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t the England team win at their own game? With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.

 HALF MAN

The series follows estranged ‘brothers’ Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Richard Gadd). When Ruben shows up unexpectedly at Niall’s wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers' relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way.

 THIS CITY IS OURS

Picking up from where things were left at the end of series one, Michael and Diana have barely arrived in Spain when they are dragged back into the fold to answer questions around Ricardo’s death. Back in Liverpool, tensions continue to bubble amongst the remaining members of the gang. Meanwhile, an old school gangster from Ronnie's era, recently out of prison, wants compensation from the firm.

 THE CAPTURE

The Capture is returning for a third series, created, written and executive produced by BAFTA-winning Ben Chanan. Holliday Grainger will return to lead the cast, with Killian Scott (Strike, Kaos, Dublin Murders) joining The Capture for series three in a pivotal role. How do you protect the truth, in a world where lies are daily currency? And with the proliferation of deepfakes, how can we trust what we see?

 THE CAGE

The Cage is written and created by BAFTA nominated Tony Schumacher (The Responder) and stars Bafta award-winner Sheridan Smith (Cilla, The C Word, Mrs Biggs) and Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole, Showtrial). It is a high-stakes, high energy crime story set within the world of a Liverpool Casino with two unforgettable characters at its heart.

 THE CAPTURE

Adapted from Liz Jensen’s bestselling novel, The Rapture is a high-stakes thriller which crackles with danger. Set in a heatwave, with protestors on the streets, forensic psychologist Gabs Fox (Ruth Madeley) starts a new job at a high-security psychiatric hospital where she meets 17-year-old Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio). Bethany was convicted of murdering her mother but claims she is innocent. She is estranged from her father Leonard (Sam Hazeldine – The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Slow Horses), who is the charismatic leader of an influential religious movement.

 THE SPLIT UP

Kishan Law is a British-Asian high net worth family law firm in Manchester, noted for its clientele and its reputation. They are the ‘go to firm’ for Manchester’s elite who come to them for their excellence, integrity, and discretion. But the future and legacy of Kishan Law hangs in the balance when a family secret from the past comes to light, throwing their professional and personal lives into turmoil.

The Split Up (6 x 60) explores the weight of parental expectations, the forces that keep families together and the truths that tear them apart. Welcome to Kishan Law. Welcome to the family.

 VIGIL

Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie return as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre. Their new case takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been shot dead.

 THE OTHER BENNETT SISTER

The Other Bennet Sister is a fresh spin around the ballroom for one of Jane Austen’s most unassuming characters: Mary Bennet – the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

The series follows Mary, played by Ella Bruccoleri, as she steps out of her sisters’ shadows in search of her own identity and purpose – finding herself in the middle of an epic love story along the way. Her journey will see her leave her family home in Meryton for the soirees of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention.

 ENDLESS NIGHT

Sarah Phelps (The Sixth Commandment, A Very British Scandal) returns to adapt Endless Night, the classic mystery novel by the best-selling author of all time. It’s 1967 and man-of-many-trades Michael Rogers finds himself working as chauffeur for the enigmatic designer du jour Rudolf Santonix, snatching a glimpse into a glamorous world of outrageous wealth that's far from his own upbringing.

 A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

After solving the Andie Bell case Pip‘s world has been transformed by her actions, and not always for the better. Pip is determined to fix the fallout - and stay away from any more investigations. But as Max Hastings’ trial approaches, key witness Jamie Reynolds suddenly disappears and Pip finds herself in a race against time to find him. This new mystery will take Pip to unexpected places as she struggles with the idea of justice, straying even further from the 'good girl' she once was.

 MARBLE HALL MURDERS

Marble Hall Murders is an adaptation of the third and final instalment in best-selling novelist Anthony Horowitz's Susan Ryeland series. Lesley Manville (The Crown, Phantom Thread) stars as Susan Ryeland, a book editor who all too often finds herself involved in baffling murders.

 STRIKE: THE RUNNING GRAVE

Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return for the next instalment of Strike in The Running Grave, the seventh (5x60min) story of the BBC’s hit crime drama in co-production with HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery and based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling crime novels written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

 RED EYE

Launches New Year's Day

The hit thriller takes flight again with Jing Lusi reprising her role as DS Hana Li for a new investigation alongside guest star Martin Compston. Joining Jing and Martin in the highly pressurised roller-coaster world of Red Eye are Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore, who also return as Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and journalist Jess Li.

Inside the US Embassy, the celebrations for a newly-appointed US Ambassador to London are shattered when a call threatening to blow a British plane out of the sky if anyone leaves triggers an immediate embassy lockdown and traps guests and staff inside. That’s when the murders begin, landing Hana Li, as a British cop, in a political and jurisdictional nightmare.

 THE LADY

Charts the extraordinary rise and fall of Jane Andrews from Buckingham Palace to convicted murderer. Based upon true events surrounding Andrews’ story, the partly fictionalised drama is written by Debbie O’Malley. Mia McKenna-Bruce brings compelling depth to Jane Andrews, a young working-class girl who, to the astonishment of her friends and family, became the then Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace.

 BETRAYAL

Shaun Evans, Romola Garai, and Zahra Ahmadi star in a gripping thriller about trust, truth, and the personal cost of secrecy in the modern intelligence world. The series is set against the backdrop of MI5 and explores the fragile, tangled web of human relationships, where loyalty and deception collide.

At the heart of the story is John Hughes (Evans), a mid-career MI5 officer navigating a rapidly evolving intelligence landscape while struggling to keep his personal life intact. Acting on a hunch, John meets a British-Iranian man with links to the Stockport gangland who claims to have intelligence about an imminent plot on UK soil.

 GONE

A gripping psychological thriller from the pen of acclaimed screenwriter George Kay and starring Eve Myles and David Morrissey. Set against the backdrop of a prestigious private school, a foreboding forest and the quiet sprawl of Bristol, Gone is a chilling mystery focusing on local headmaster Michael Polly, played by David Morrissey (The Long Shadow, Sherwood, Britannia), who becomes the prime suspect in his wife Sarah’s disappearance.

 THE PARTY

Based on the acclaimed novel by Elizabeth Day, this drama stars Luke Evans as Martin Gilmour, a journalist shaped by his lifelong friendship with the wealthy and charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Tom Cullen.

Raised alone by his working-class mum Sylvia, played by BAFTA-winning Joanna Scanlan (After Love, Riot Women), Martin (Evans - Nine Perfect Strangers, Murder Mystery, the Fast and Furious franchise and ITV’s The Pembrokeshire Murders) wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school, where he first meets Ben (Cullen - The Gold, Trespasses, House of the Dragon).

 SECRET SERVICE

Acclaimed award-winning actress Gemma Arterton (Funny Woman, The Critic) leads a stellar cast in a gripping espionage thriller adapted from ITV News anchor Tom Bradby’s tense and timely novel and produced by Potboiler Productions. Set against today’s fraught political landscape, Secret Service explores long standing tensions between Russia and the UK and raises pressing questions about foreign influence in British politics.

Joining Gemma is an exceptional ensemble cast: Rafe Spall (The English, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Mark Stanley (Adolescence, Happy Valley), Alex Kingston (Douglas Is Cancelled, Doctor Who), Roger Allam (Endeavour, The Choral), Amaka Okafor (Bodies, The Responder), Aoife Hinds (Dune: Prophecy, The Long Call), Rochenda Sandall (Amandaland, The Rig, Line of Duty), and Khalid Abdalla (The Day of the Jackal, The Crown).

 ADULTERY

A scandalous new drama written by award-winning Danny Brocklehurst and produced by Poison Pen Studios. The series is led by Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai. The provocative love story raises questions about class, grief, and the effects of social media as it takes the viewer on a rollercoaster story of passion, parenthood, and peril as Tom Kirkman and Beth Brookes embark upon a passionate and intense love affair that threatens to uproot their whole lives.

Adultery is naturally authentic and bristling with passion as it focuses upon two ordinary families and messy complications. Adultery introduces us to Tom’s 15-year-old daughter Jess, who has found love with schoolmate Ollie, and they can’t take their hands off one another as love’s young dream becomes all consuming.

When Tom meets Ollie’s mum Beth in the most unexpected of circumstances, the two families’ lives are potentially turned upside down forever - will Tom and Beth be able to control their desires unlike their lovestruck teenagers?

 THE BLAME

Drama centred around DI Emma Crane and DI Tom Radley investigating a tragic murder in the fictional town of Wakestead - they quickly identify their main suspect, but an unexpected lead comes to light as the case progresses. As Emma and Tom dig deeper, they uncover a web of lies, institutional cover-ups and moral compromise which forces Emma to question the people closest to her.

Part propulsive mystery, part social commentary and part love story, The Blame will tackle big questions around policing and will take an unflinching look at who we can really trust. Leading the cast is Michelle Keegan (Fool Me Once, Brassic) as DI Emma Crane - Douglas Booth (The Sandman, The Dirt) joins as DI Tom Radley, and Ian Hart (Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, The Last Kingdom) is DCI Kenneth Walker.

 BELIEVE ME

The story of three victims of John Worboys, one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history who was dubbed by the media as the Black Cab Rapist after preying on women under the cover of being a ‘respectable’ licensed taxi-cab driver.

 THE DARK

Based upon GR Halliday’s debut novel From the Shadows. When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community.

As paranoia rises, suspicions and secrets are forced into the light and the locals start to realise that there is a serial killer hidden amongst them. With her experience of dealing with the darkest of humanity, Monica Kennedy quickly becomes entangled in a heightened game of cat and mouse with a cunning killer - only she can stop this monster before he claims any more victims.

 GRACE

Detective drama is back for a sixth series. John Simm will reprise his role as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace for four standalone films set in the familiar surroundings of Brighton. Starring alongside John will be Richie Campbell (Top Boy, Stephen), who plays DS Glenn Branson, Zoë Tapper (Liar) as Cleo Morey, Laura Elphinstone (Chernobyl) as DS Bella Moy, and Brad Morrison (Outlander) as DC Nick Nicholl.

 AFTER THE FLOOD

The second series finds newly promoted detective Jo Marshall (Sophie Rundle) on the trail of a baffling new murder investigation. As tensions simmer in Waterside amid the rising threat of moorland fires and the subsequent risk of further flooding, a body is discovered in bizarre circumstances.

Jo's race to stop the killer brings her into direct conflict with dark and influential forces within the town, ultimately drawing her into an investigation that becomes deeply personal. One that will require her to operate in secret if she is to have any hope of rooting out the corruption that has blighted the town's police force - and her own family - for decades.

 GRANTCHESTER

The fan-favourite show returns for its tenth series. Following the departure of Reverend Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) in the ninth series, DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair) cement their friendship and working relationship as they embark on more adventures and mysteries to solve across eight brand-new episodes.

Returning to the crime drama are Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Tessa Peake Jones as Mrs. C, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe, Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman, Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters, and Melissa Johns as Miss Scott.

 PROFESSOR T

The hit crime drama is back, with Ben Miller starring in the titular role, to deliver its uniquely riveting crime stories with its irresistible ensemble of characters. Ben Miller (Bridgerton, Death in Paradise) returns to play Cambridge’s illustrious Professor Jasper Tempest, with Zoe Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone, My Family) as the Professor’s aunt Zelda Radclyffe, and Juliet Stevenson (Emma, Truly Madly Deeply) returning as psychologist Dr Helena Goldberg.

Barney White (Against the Law), Sunetra Sarker (Playing Nice, Casualty), and Rhian Blundell (Vampire Academy, Nobody Girl), who play Detective Dan Winters, DCI Maiya Goswami, and Detective Chloe Highsmith respectively, will also feature in the fourth series.

 MIDSOMER MURDERS

DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) is back in Midsomer County investigating two new feature-length murder mysteries with the help of his trusted sidekick DS Jamie Winter (played by Nick Hendrix). The new episodes will take viewers back to the picturesque yet surprisingly lethal English countryside where we see into the worlds of family feuds on a grand scale and the phenomenon of treasure hunters.

Guest starring in The Devil’s Work are Peter Serafinowicz, Sarah Woodward, Alex Macqueen, Ginny Holder and Charles Dale, while Jon Culshaw, Sally Lindsay, Shaun Dooley, Oliver Dimsdale and Omid Djalili all guest star in Book of the Dead. The episodes will also see the return of Annette Badland as pathologist Dr Fleur Perkins and Fiona Dolman as Barnaby’s wife Sarah.

TIP TOE

The five-part series will follow Leo and Clive who live next door to each other in Manchester. Leo runs a bar on Canal Street, Clive’s an electrician, with two teenage sons. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense.

Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbours become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller which challenges everything we consider to be safe. The series, populated with a cast of vibrant characters and underscored with Davies’ trademark wit and deft humour, is an urgent yet gripping tale that brings a spotlight to bear on the re-emergence of an incipient threat.

 NUMBER 10

There’s a Prime Minister in the attic, a coffee bar in the basement, and a wallpapered labyrinth of romance, crisis and heartbreak in-between. Set in the only terrace house in history with mice and a nuclear deterrent, it’s the only knock-through in the world where a hangover can start a war. 

The government will be fictional and unspecific, but the problems will be real. We’ll never know which party is in power, because once the whole world hits the fan it barely matters. This is a show about the building and everyone inside. Not just the Prime Minister upstairs, but the conspiracy theorist who runs the cafe three floors below, the man who repairs the lift that never works, the madly ambitious ‘advisors’ fighting for office space in cupboards. Oh, and of course, the cat. 

Transmission details will be announced in due course.