New photos released of Jamie Dornan's must-watch BBC thriller The Tourist

The Bodyguard, Bloodlands, Doctor Foster, Normal People – it's fair to say we're a nation who love a good TV drama, especially when the BBC are behind the camera. But what about new 2021 BBC dramas coming out this year and beyond?

Well it looks like it's going to be another stellar year for BBC drama. Not only has filming for the book adaption of Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends and the final series of Killing Eve officially begun (Jodie Comer reveals 'bonkers' Villanelle plot for season 4), but one of our other favourite books: Everything I Know About Love, is also getting the small screen treatment — with the cast line-up recently released by the BBC.

We were recently given a first look at the BBC's upcoming adaptation of the bestselling thriller, The Girl Before, and been told about a brand new drama, Marriage, starring Nicola Walker and Sean Bean. And period drama fans will be delighted to hear that an opulent new French series about the life of Marie Antoinette will also be shown on the BBC.

As we get closer to the festive period, BBC Two guarantees a chill in the air for viewers this Christmas with M.R. James and Mark Gatiss's ghost story, The Mezzotint, starring Rory Kinnear.

The BBC has also released first look images of Claire Foy in her new royal role as Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll in Sarah Phelps' A Very British Scandal. The limited series, co-starring Paul Bettany as the Duke of Argyll, is the follow-up to the award winning A Very English Scandal, which featured Ben Whishaw and Hugh Grant. It will arrive in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Sarah Lancashire will be back for the third and final series of Sally Wainwright's BAFTA-winning Happy Valley, the BBC has confirmed. The six-parter will also feature the return of James Norton and Siobhan Finneran, and filming will commence early 2022.

Keeley Hawes has been cast as the lead of the BBC's upcoming drama Crossfire. Set in a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands, the thriller follows Keeley as Jo, a woman on holiday with her family whose world is turned upside down when shots ring out across the complex.

David Tennant will also star as intrepid explorer Phileas Fogg in the BBC's adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in 80 Days, which has a Christmas transmission date. Ibrahim Koma stars as the mercurial Passepartout and Leonie Benesch plays young journalist Abigail 'Fix' Fortescue.

The trailer for BBC Two drama The Responder has been released, showcasing lead star Martin Freeman's Liverpudlian accent as he plays an urgent response officer named Chris. The series takes place over a series of night shifts in Liverpool, in which Chris battles crisis after crisis — both physical and moral.

Plus, new photos have been released of the BBC's upcoming six-part thriller The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan. Set in the Australian outback, it's coming to our screens on New Year's Day. More below.

From Swedish crime thrillers to Irish noirs and the return of old favourites, we've rounded up the best TV shows from the BBC in 2021 and 2022. Find out more about each show now below and prepare to never leave your sofa again...

Release date: 1 January 2022

Fans of The Missing and Liar, listen up! The same production company has created a brand new six-part thriller set in the Australian Outback, starring none other than Jamie Dornan.

With new photos just released and a launch date on 1 January on BBC One and iPlayer, we're getting super excited.

The official synopsis reads: ‘In the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, a British man is pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat and mouse chase unfolds and The Man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.’

Also starring Daniella Macdonald (of Dumplin’ and Ladybird fame) as probationary constable Helen Chambers, Line Of Duty’s Shalom Brune-Franklin as waitress Luci, and Hollywood heavyweight Hugo Weaving as the high profile detective inspector on the case. We can't wait to watch this!

Release date: TBC

The BBC has released the first look image of Keeley Hawes in upcoming thriller Crossfire. Set in a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands, the drama begins with Keeley's Jo sunbathing on her hotel room balcony while on a dream holiday with her family and friends.

The BBC says: 'Her world is turned upside down when shots ring out across the complex. Gunmen, out for revenge, have, in an instant, turned a slice of paradise into a terrifying heart-breaking hell.'

A story of survival and resilience, Crossfire is an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting thriller yet also emotional, intimate and relatable. With the unsuspecting holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make monumental split-second life or death decisions, the consequences will linger long after the final shots are fired.

'The series has been created and written by Louise Doughty (author of Apple Tree Yard), marking her first original series for television.

The cast also includes Josette Simon (Small Axe, Riviera), Anneika Rose (Deadwater Fell, Line of Duty), Lee Ingleby (The A Word, The Serpent Queen, Criminal UK), Daniel Ryan (The Bay, Home Fires), Vikash Bhai (The Stranger, Limbo), Hugo Silva (Nasdrovia, The Cook of Castamar), Alba Brunet (Operation Mincemeat, Paraiso, The Mallorca Files), Shalisha James-Davis (Alex Rider, I May Destroy You) and Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials, Good Omens).

Release date: TBC on BBC Two

The first trailer for The Responder starring Martin Freeman has been released, featuring the star showcasing his Liverpudlian accent to play urgent response officer Chris.

The six-part crime drama - starring Adelayo Adedayo (Some Girls) as his partner - takes place over a series of night shifts in Liverpool, in which Chris battles crisis after crisis — both physical and moral. As he tries to train up his rookie partner, Adedayo, the pair must find a way to navigate the relentless nature of their shifts whilst trying to understand each other.

Written by first-time author Tony Schumacher, the series is based on the former policeman's real-life experiences as an officer on the beat in the city, whilst struggling with his own mental health.

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Release date: December 2021

David Tennant leads the BBC's Christmas adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in 80 Days as intrepid explorer Phileas Fogg. Ibrahim Koma stars as the mercurial Passepartout and Leonie Benesch plays young journalist Abigail 'Fix' Fortescue.

The eight-part adventure series, written by Life on Mars' Ashley Pharoah among others, follows the legendary adventurer Phileas Fogg as he attempts to travel around the world in 80 days to win a lucrative wager he entered into. He's accompanied by Passepartout and Abigail Fix, who documents their journey.

Around the World in 80 Days will air on BBC One in December.

Release date: December 2021

The BBC has shared first look images of Claire Foy in her latest royal role as Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll in Sarah Phelps' limited series A Very British Scandal.

Following on from the award-winning A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, the three-parter will focus on the divorce of the Duke (played by Paul Bettany) and the Duchess (Foy), which became one of the most notorious, extraordinary and brutal legal cases of the 20th century.

Joining the drama are Amanda Drew (The Trial of Christine Keeler, Trust), Richard McCabe (Poldark, Harlots), Phoebe Nicholls (The Elephant Man, Fortitude), Camilla Rutherford (Phantom Thread, Fleming), Timothy Renouf (Afterlife of the Party, The Laureate), Sophia Myles (A Discovery of Witches, Spooks), Sophie Ward (The Moonstone, Land Girls), Tim Steed (The Death of Stalin, Cruella), and Katherine Manners (Press, War & Peace).

BBC synopsis reads: 'Famed for her charisma, beauty and style, Margaret dominated the front pages as a divorce featuring accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, secret recording, bribery and an explicit polaroid picture - all played out in the white-hot glare of the 1960s media.

'A Very British Scandal turns this scandal inside out in order to explore the social and political climate of post-war Britain, looking at attitudes towards women, and asking whether institutional misogyny was widespread at the time.

As her contemporaries, the press, and the judiciary sought to vilify her, Margaret kept her head held high with bravery and resilience, refusing to go quietly as she was betrayed by her friends and publicly shamed by a society that revelled in her fall from grace.'

Release date: TBC

The BBC has shared their first look image of Samuel Adewunmi (The Last Tree, Angela Black) and newcomer Sophie Wilde as Hero and Krya respectively in the highly anticipated upcoming four-part drama You Don’t Know Me.

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Imran Mahmood of the same title, the coming-of-age story centres on a young man, who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder.

The BBC says: 'At his trial, Hero (Adewunmi) tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, Kyra (Wilde) who got into terrible trouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him?'

The cast also includes Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (Tomb Raider, Sixteen), Tuwaine Barrett (The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Last Tree), Yetunde Oduwole (Carnage, Meet The Adebanjos) and Nicholas Khan (Transformers: The Last Knight, Exodus: Gods and Kings) alongside Bukky Bakray (Rocks, Self-Charm).

Release date: TBC 2022

Vigil's Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell, Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen, Atomic Blonde's Sofia Boutella and Dominic West star in Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight's SAS Rogue Heroes.

The BBC says: 'Rich with action and set-pieces, SAS: Rogue Heroes is the exhilarating story of renegade men taking monumental risks in extraordinary circumstances.Cairo, 1941. David Stirling (Swindells) - an eccentric young officer, hospitalised after a training exercise went wrong - is bored. Convinced that traditional commando units don’t work, he creates a radical plan that flies in the face of all accepted rules of modern warfare. He fights for permission to recruit the toughest, boldest and brightest soldiers for a small undercover unit that will create mayhem behind enemy lines.

'More rebels than soldiers, Stirling’s team are every bit as complicated, flawed and reckless as they are astonishingly brave and heroic.'

Steven Knight said: 'It has been a privilege to work on a project which tells the story of a renegade band of soldiers who used wit and imagination as much as firepower to halt the march of Fascism across North Africa during the darkest days of World War Two. This is a war story like no other, told in a way that is at once inspired by the facts and true to the spirit of this legendary brigade of misfits and adventurers.'

The BBC confirmed filming has wrapped and that the series will arrive in 2022.

Release date: TBC

The BBC has released first look images of Maxine Peake in Rules of the Game, a topical workplace drama — inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the subsequent #MeToo movement.

The four-part series is described as a 'thriller about sexual politics in the modern workplace' and sees Shameless star Maxine take the lead role as Sam — the head of a family-run company in the north west of England who is resistant to criticism and change. Meanwhile new HR boss Maya (Sex Educations Rakhee Thakrar) arrives and is intent on dismantling the 'old-fashioned lad culture' within the company.

Maxine Peake said: 'What a glorious cast. Working alongside my fellow sisters each day, with their commitment and understanding towards Ruth Fowler’s script about sexual politics in the workplace, with Jennifer Sheridan directing, has reminded me once again why we need to keep fighting for more women to have a voice in the filmmaking process.'

The cast also includes Kieran Bew (Warrior), Ben Batt (Scott & Bailey), Callie Cooke (The Stranger), Katherine Pearce (Three Girls) and Zoë Tapper (Liar).

Release date: TBC

First look images of BBC One's adaptation of Kit de Waal’s award-winning debut novel My Name is Leon have been released.

Malachi Kirby (Small Axe, Devils & Black Mirror), Monica Dolan (A Very English Scandal), Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston, Olivia Williams (The Father) and Sir Lenny Henry have joined the cast along with newcomer Cole Martin (pictured above) taking the lead in his first ever TV role.

Set in 1980s Britain, this one-off TV movie written by Shola Amoo, tells the uplifting – and incredibly moving – story of nine-year-old Leon; a mixed-race boy who fights to keep his family together as his single-parent mother suffers a devastating breakdown and he gets separated from his brother, as they're both forced into care.

Set against the backdrop of the race riots in the 1980s, the tale is told through Leon’s eyes as we follow his journey — full of energy and hopefulness despite the hardships he encounters — and witness the touching relationship between him and his foster carer Maureen.

Release date: TBC

Sally Wainwright's award-winning Happy Valley will be back for a third and final series after a long six year wait – with Sarah Lancashire reprising her iconic role as Sergeant Catherine Cawood.

The six-parter will also feature the return of James Norton and Siobhan Finneran as Catherine's nemesis, the murderer and sex-offender Tommy Lee Royce, and Catherine's sister, the recovering addict Clare Cartwright, respectively. Filming will get underway in early 2022.

The synopsis reads: 'When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.

'Her grandson Ryan is now sixteen and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father. Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement.'

Sarah Lancashire said: 'It's time to let the dog see the rabbit.'

James Norton added: 'To take on Tommy one final time is a wonderful and daunting privilege, and something I’ve been looking forward to since we wrapped the last series, 6 years ago. I’m so excited to be working with the insanely talented Sally and Sarah again. Thinking we should all go on one last barge holiday, for old times’ sake.'

More cast details will be announced soon.

Release date: TBC

The first look images for Steven Moffat's mystery thriller Inside Man have been released, featuring David Tennant in his role as a small-town Vicar.

The synopsis for the four-part mini-series is being shrouded in secrecy for now, but the BBC has teased that it will follow a prisoner on death row in the US, a vicar in a quiet English town, and a maths teacher trapped in a cellar, as they cross paths in the most unexpected way.

The impressive ensemble cast also includes Stanley Tucci in the title role, It's a Sin's Lydia West and The Pursuit of Love's Dolly Wells.

Release date: TBC 2022

Here's the first look of the third and final series of The Split, which marks creator Abi Morgan's directorial debut.

Set in the fast-paced world of London's high-end divorce circuit, the much-loved drama follows the messy lives of the three Defoe sisters, Hannah (Nicola Walker), Nina (Annabel Scholey) and Rose (Fiona Button) and their formidable mother, Ruth (Deborah Findlay).

BBC's synopsis for season 3 reads: 'Adding fuel to the fire, the catalyst to the breakdown of Hannah and Nathan's marriage, Christie (Barry Atsma), will also return to the final series, which sees Hannah and Nathan's formerly rock-solid marriage unravel as they try to come to an amicable separation agreement.

'As Hannah and Nathan begin to divide up their twenty years together, Hannah faces what she is about to lose and a shocking revelation dramatically changes the stakes. As the battlelines are redrawn, we wonder if their dream of achieving the “good divorce” is even possible. Will they find a path through the wreckage, or is The Split simply too deep to repair?'

Release date: December 2021 on BBC Two

BBC Two has released first look image of their Christmas ghost story, The Mezzotint. The picture reveals No Time to Die star Rory Kinnear as Edward Williams in the period drama set in 1922 and in the heart of an old English college.

BBC says: 'Williams receives an engraving of an unknown country house. An imposing facade. A sweeping lawn. And, just perhaps, something else. Laced with M. R. James' trademark terror, The Mezzotint will guarantee a chill in the air for viewers this Christmas.'

Downton Abbey's Robert Bathurst stars as Garwood, Frances Barber as Mrs Ambrigail and Nikesh Patel as Nisbet. The Mezzotint also features Poldark's John Hopkins, Roadkill's Emma Cunniffe and Dracula's Tommaso Di Vincenzo.

Release date: TBC 2022

BBC Two will air French historical drama Marie Antoinette, a feminist depiction of the life of the ill-fated iconic queen from the writer of The Favourite.

The eight-part series will tells the story of the modern and avant-garde young queen (Emilia Schüle ) who was only 14 when she left Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. Fighting against rumours that undermined her reputation, she navigated the rules of the French court under pressure to continue the Bourbon line.

'The all-female writing team, led by Deborah Davis, brings a unique portrayal to her character, drawing out modern feminist comparisons,' Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne said.

Release date: TBC

BAFTA winners Nicola Walker and Sean Bean are teaming up to star in BBC drama Marriage, from the multi-award winning writer and director of Him and Her and Mum, Stefan Golaszewski.

Marriage sees married couple Ian (Bean) and Emma (Walker) negotiate the ups and downs of their 30-year marriage. BBC's synopsis reads: 'We see them dealing with the insecurities, the ambiguities, the hopes and the fears that are part of all marriages as the drama explores the risks and the gifts of a long-term intimate relationship.'

Bean said: 'I'm thrilled to be playing opposite the talented Nicola Walker and I’m looking forward to bringing Stefan’s intimate scripts to the screen.'

Walker added: 'This is a unique project. Stefan has created such a beautiful, funny and complicated world and I’m excited to be stepping into Ian and Emma’s marriage with Sean.'

Release date: TBC

BBC's award-winning drama Waterloo Road is returning after six years. The new series will be set in a comprehensive school in Manchester, and focus on the challenges that teachers, parents and pupils face amidst the ongoing pandemic.

The original show aired on the BBC from 2006 - 2015, and was set in both Rochdale and Greenock. It launched the careers of Jenna Coleman and Bridgerton stars Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dyvenor.

The revival of Waterloo Road will boost drama production skills in the North of England and help to reshape the BBC's drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.

Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, said: 'Waterloo Road is the perfect lens through which to explore post-Covid Britain, from the perspective of those who have arguably been affected most: young people in education. We are thrilled to be returning to this brilliant format – its thrills and spills, unmissable characters and high drama – at a time when audiences across Britain need it most. And to be collaborating with the brilliant Cameron Roach and Wall To Wall on its return.'

Release date: December 2021

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo star in BBC One and HBO's adaptation of JP Delaney's best-selling novel of the same title.

The drama tells the story of Jane (Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (Oyelowo).

'There's just one catch: the occupants must abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery about her predecessor, Emma (Jessica Plummer), she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before… ' the BBC's synopsis reads.

Former EastEnders stars Jessica Plummer and Ben Hardy join the cast.

Release date: TBC

Shane Meadows (This Is England) is turning his hand to his first ever BBC period drama, adapting Benjamin Myers classic novel based on the true story of the Yorkshire Cragg Vale Coiners — with filming for the fictional series officially underway as of September 2021.

The BBC say: 'Set against the backdrop of the coming industrial revolution in eighteenth century Yorkshire, the compelling drama follows the enigmatic David Hartley, as he assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a revolutionary criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history.'

Starring Michael Socha, Downton Abbey’s Sophie McShera, Cara Theobold, 1917’s George MacKay and Peaky Blinders star Samuel Edward-Cook.

The six-part series for the BBC is currently filming in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, so we imagine it will hit screens at some point in 2022.

Release date: TBC 2022 on BBC One

Roadkill's Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham will lead BBC One's three-part thriller set in Glasgow.

The series will tell the story of Gabe (De Caestecker), an ordinary man who works as an emergency call handler for the Scottish Ambulance Service in Glasgow.

BBC's synopsis reads: 'His world is turned upside down when he receives a desperate life-and-death call from a woman who appears to know him. With Gabe under pressure to work out who she is, he makes a decision that threatens to have devastating consequences.'

The cast also includes Sharon Rooney, Line of Duty's Taj Atwal, Vigil's Daniel Portman and Bodyguard's Stuart Bowman.

Release date: TBC 2022 on BBC One

Award-winning journalist and author Dolly Alderton is adapting her bestselling memoir to the small screen and, excitingly, the stellar cast line-up has just been announced.

Described as 'an unflinching account of surviving your 20s,' the semi-fictionalised screen adaption will follow best friends Maggie (The Witcher's Emma Appleton) and Birdy (The Morning Show's Bel Powley), who move to London to live the high life. However, things don't exactly go as planned, when Birdy gets a steady boyfriend — leaving Maggie single and without her co-pilot.

Described by the BBC as 'a generous, funny, warm-hearted and uplifting Sex & The City for Millennials,' the same themes of the memoir will run throughout — 'bad dates and squalid flat-shares, heartaches and humiliations, and, most importantly, unbreakable female friendships.'

Dolly, who will serve as co-executive producer on the project, said: 'It’s a messy, boisterous, joyful, romantic comedy about two best female friends from childhood and what happens when they move in to their first London house share and the first phase of adulthood. I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am that it is being made by Working Title and the BBC.'

She also said she is 'beyond thrilled' with the actor choices and revealed she's 'so excited to see them inhabit the world of the show and bring its stories and relationships to life.'

That makes two of us!

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Release date: 2022 on BBC One

Fans of Killing Eve rejoice! For season 4 filming is officially underway, meaning Villanelle and Eve Polastri (The Chair's Sandra Oh) will be back on screens as planned in 2022.

Sadly, BBC America recently confirmed that the upcoming season of Killing Eve will also be its last, something star Jodie Comer has had a hard time wrapping her head around.

'I had a little moment where I saw the clapperboard and I had a kind of lump in my throat,' she admitted to NBC (via MailOnline).

'I cannot let myself [mourn]. I have two months left [of filming] It is like a marathon. If you are at the start you cannot think of the finish. Not that I have ever run a marathon.'

Sex Education’s Laura Neal will be helming the script this time around — following in the footsteps of previous writers Suzanne Heathcote, Emerald Fennell and Phoebe Waller-Bridge — bringing some of the brilliant writing we’ve come to love on the hit Netflix show.

Teasing the plot, Comer also revealed further details of what the new season might entail for her character: 'We have definitely got off to an exciting start. I think now, because we know it's the final season they are definitely pushing boundaries, especially with Villanelle. Where we open with her [Villanelle] is totally bonkers and brilliant. I hope people finally enjoy it when it hits the screen.'

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Release date: TBC 2022 on BBC One

Hot off the heels of The Serpent and Line of Duty, comes another brilliant-looking BBC crime drama, this time inspired by two real-life Nottinghamshire murders and the subsequent man hunt of Robert Boyer and Terry Rodgers in 2004.

The new series will star Liar's Joanne Froggatt, David Morrissey, Robert Glenister, Philip Jackson, and Lorraine Ashbourne and — despite being based on true events — will be a fictional dramatic portrayal.

The official BBC synopsis says, Sherwood sees 'two shocking and unexpected murders shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.

'Suspicion is rife and the murders threaten to inflame historic divisions sparked during the Miners’ Strike that tore families apart three decades before.

'To solve the murders, police inspectors Ian St Clair, from the local constabulary, and Kevin Salisbury from the Met, must reunite and bury a rivalry that stretches back to 1984, in an attempt to heal wounds, and catch a killer. But can a community repair itself as more is discovered about those who live there, and whether they really are who they say they are?'

Filming is likely due to complete at the end of this year so we can expect this to hit screens early 2022.

Release date: TBC on BBC One

A brand new six-part gripping psychological drama is headed to screens later this year, starring The Crown's Erin O'Doherty (Princess Anne), Roadkill's Pippa Bennett-Warner and is written and created by Sex Education director Alice Seabright.

The story revolves around Becky, a young woman living with her mum and working as a temp, who spends her time comparing her life to those on Instagram — particularly a girl named Chloe.

The BBC synopsis says: 'Becky obsessively watches her seemingly flawless life through social media. But when Chloe dies suddenly, Becky’s need to find out how and why leads her to assume a new identity and engineer a ‘chance’ meeting with Chloe’s best friend, Livia, and infiltrate Chloe's group of close-knit friends.

'Through her alter-ego Sasha, Becky becomes a powerful, transgressive heroine; a popular, well-connected ‘someone’ with a life, and loves, that are far more exciting and addictive than the ‘no-one’ she is as Becky. However, the pretence soon obscures and conflates reality, and Becky risks losing herself completely in the game she is playing.'

Filming has officially started for the series, so we hope this means it'll be headed to screens later this year. When it does it'll premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and will be available on Prime Video internationally.

Release date: TBC on BBC Two

Adam Kay's bestselling diary documenting life as a junior doctor at an NHS hospital is coming to the BBC later this year, and we've just had a first glimpse of Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Paddington) in the lead role.

Readers fell for Kay's honest, funny and unflinching description of what life is really like for the 1.4m people working on the frontline of the NHS every day.

And they'll be pleased to know Adam's behind the seven-episode BBC Two adaptation, saying: 'It’s been a huge privilege to have my diaries reach so many readers and it’s been absolutely humbling to see their reaction. I’m beyond delighted to now be able to share my story with a far wider audience and make the viewers of BBC Two laugh, cry and vomit.'

We can't wait!

Release date: TBC

Along with all the other BBC commissions mentioned below, the network also announced that another BBC production was in the works with the award-winning creator of I May Destroy You, Michael Coel.

While we don't have any specific details just yet, Piers Wenger, head of BBC drama commissioning, said earlier this week that another project is in the works with the 'unequalled' star and that 'more news about that to follow in due course.'

Since then, Wenger has gone on to reveal more details in an interview with Deadline, about what Coel's upcoming BBC series might entail and links it might have to her previous projects:

'It’s truly in Michaela’s head and it’s not for me to second guess that too much at this point. It’s at relatively early stages, but I wanted to let the fans of I May Destroy You know that there is a new show coming along.'

Adding: 'What relationship that show will have with the original series, [is for Michaela to decide]. There’s a relationship between Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You. There’s a through line to her thinking. I suspect there may be elements [of I May Destroy You] but it’s really too early to say anything specific.'

We could not be more excited to see what the star has in store for us next...

Release date: TBC

From the mind of Candice Carty-Williams (pictured here), author of bestselling novel Queenie, comes this story of what happens when fame collides with family.

The official synopsis reads: 'Bosco Champion. The golden boy of the Champion family and a UK rap sensation before he was jailed is home from prison, and he’s ready to dominate the music industry once more.

'Since she can remember, his younger sister Vita has been his personal assistant, running around after him, getting him out of trouble and hiding his various misdemeanours. But when Vita’s own talent is discovered by Bosco’s rival, Belly, she steps out of her brother's shadow to become a performer in her own right, setting the Champion siblings against one another in their quest to both reach the top spot in the charts, and to be the star of the family.

'Even their parents, soundman turned radio DJ Beres and nineties R&B one hit wonder Aria, can’t stop Bosco and Vita from splitting the Champion family down the middle as they go head to head in a very public and messy battle. In fact, it might be in their best interests to keep Bosco and Vita apart…'

Described by Carty-Williams as a 'love letter to the Black British music scene', we can't wait to watch this new BBC drama.

Release date: TBC

Inspired by her 2019 book Skint Estate, author Cash Carraway is adapting the wild tale of trying to escape life trapped below the poverty line to the small screen — and it's been announced that the BBC drama will star none other than This Country's Daisy May Cooper, who the author describes as 'brilliant.'

Carraway says: 'The show is about a brash yet intelligent working-class single mum who not only lives in extreme inner-city poverty but a state of ridicule and humiliation as she attempts to improve her life.

'She’s immoral and shocking and purposefully vile, and swaggerous and quite amazing really – but obviously I would say that as it’s inspired by my life... It isn't a woeful tale of poverty porn, it's a love story in the detritus between a mother and her daughter.... A woman who refuses to hand over her spirit regardless of how hard it’s kicked in.'

She hopes Cooper will bring her signature 'warmth and humour' to the performance of a woman 'that says "f-you" to the expectations of how women perceived to be at the bottom of society are expected to behave.'

Release date: TBC

Soon-to-be a published novel, Wahala, by Nikki May, is being adapted to screen by BAFTA-nominated Rocks writer Theresa Ikoko (pictured here).

The story will follow three thirty-something Anglo-Nigerian friends living in London, trying to navigate a world that 'mixes roast dinners with jollof rice.'

The official BBC synopsis says: 'Simi, Ronke and Boo have been best friends for years, sharing every aspect of their careers, family lives and relationships with one another. But when the beautiful, charismatic and super wealthy Isobel infiltrates their friendship group, mounting tensions, unravelling bonds and unearthed secrets have shocking and tragic consequences.'

Ikoko has described the series as 'Big Little Lies meets Girlfriends meets Peckham!' She also adds that it will be a great celebration of Nigerian British culture, for which she proudly bears the flag.

Release date: TBC on BBC One and Amazon Prime

Emily Blunt is set to star in an upcoming Western drama from the BBC — and from the sounds of things, it's going to be brilliant.

The six-part series has been described as a 'high-octane epic Western' by the broadcaster, with the official synopsis reading:

'Set in the mythic mid-American landscape in the year of 1890, The English follows Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.

'Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them are to survive.'

Filming has just started in Spain so it looks like this might hit screens at the end of this year or early 2022.

Release date: TBC

The creative masterminds behind Normal People are developing Sally Rooney's first novel, Conversations with Friends, for the BBC.The exciting cast line-up was announced earlier this year (more on that below). Now the BBC has confirmed that filming has officially begun, meaning we won't have too long to wait until we can get our fix.

Jemima Kirke (aka Jessa from Girls — pictured above) will take the role of Melissa in the adaption, while Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) will play Nick, following up with newcomer Alison Oliver as Frances and American Honey star Sasha Lane as Bobbi.Just like Normal People, Conversations with Friends is also set in Dublin and explores the nuances and complexities of relationships, although the two books are not related at all.

The plot follows the four main characters – Frances, Bobbi, Nick and Melissa – as their lives and loves become intertwined with devastating results.Acclaimed Room director Lenny Abrahamson — who also co-directed Normal People — will be at the helm of the production again; which will consist of 12 half-hour episodes.

Release date: TBC

With filming delayed due to Covid-19, the screening date for this new season of the BBC period drama has been pushed back.

Written by Sally Wainwright, the BBC drama is based on the extraordinary life of the 'first modern lesbian' Anne Lister, played by Suranne Jones.

The season finale saw Lister and her lover Ann Walker making their commitments to each other in an unofficial ceremony and fans are excited for season 2 to pick up where it left off.