The BBC have announced a new drama

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?

Well it looks like it's going to be another stellar year for BBC drama. Jed Mercurio's cult series Line of Duty is currently airing its explosive sixth series on Sundays, and a brand new workplace drama has just been announced — based on the Harvey Weinstein #MeToo scandal. Plus, Call The Midwife is officially returning for a season 10 later this year and a brand new psychological thriller based on a bestselling book is in the works. More on that below.

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

Release date: TBC on BBC One

A brand new workplace drama — inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the subsequent #MeToo movement — is coming to BBC One.

The four-part series is described as a 'thriller about sexual politics in the modern workplace' and sees Shameless star Maxine Peake 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 arrives and is intent on dismantling the 'old-fashioned lad culture' within the company.

The BBC is yet to reveal the show’s air date and further details about the supporting cast, but it's safe to say — we're already very excited...

Release date: TBC on BBC One

If Behind Her Eyes and The Stranger have proved anything, it's that we all love nothing more than a psychological thriller — even more so when it's based on a bestselling book.

The book in question is of the same name and was written by author JP Delaney (who will also write and executive produce the upcoming 4-part series). It's centred on the story of Jane; a woman who stumbles upon the 'rental opportunity of a lifetime' — as long as she abides by her new landlord's rules.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show) will play Jane, with David Oyelowo (Les Miserablés and Selma) starring as Edward Monkford — the 'enigmatic architect' who takes Jane into his ultra-minimalist home, known as ‘One Folgate Street.'

The official synopsis says: 'Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, 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…'

If that's not enough to have you hooked, Lisa Brühlmann (Killing Eve) will be directing behind the scenes.

No release date has been announced yet, so watch this space!

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Episode four continues Sunday at 9pm on BBC One

The long-awaited sixth season of Line of Duty finally hit screens last month — and if the first few explosive episodes are anything to go by, we've got a very exciting season ahead of us.

In episode four, DCI Joanne Davidson faces increasing pressure from all sides, as AC-12 makes major breakthroughs in the investigation.

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Episode two continues Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One

This five-part drama by Kay Mellor, following five supermarket workers whose lives are turned upside down when they jointly win the lottery is back for a fourth season on BBC One. Starring Joe Suggs.

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Release date: Late 2021 on BBC One

Everyone's favourite midwives are back for a whopping tenth season, after airing their Christmas special in December.

Normally new seasons arrive in January but, as filming had to be pushed back because due to the pandemic, it won't be arriving on screens until later this year — and this also means there'll be seven episodes instead of the usual eight.

No exact plot details have been revealed yet, but we do know the new series will be set in 1966.

Release date: 2022 on BBC One

Fans of Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh rejoice! Killing Eve season 4 has just been officially confirmed.

BBC America — who sadly also announced that this will be the last season in the groundbreaking series — have shared that we can expect Villanelle and Eve Polastri to be back on our screens in 2022, with filming scheduled to begin this summer.

Even more excitingly, 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.

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Release date: April on BBC Two

Colin Farrell, Jack O'Connell and Stephen Graham star in this hard-hitting BBC drama, based on Ian McGuire's novel of the same name.

O'Connell plays disgraced ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner, who signs up to be the ship doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic, and is joined on board by amoral killer and harpooner Henry Drax (played by Colin Farrell).

As Sumner struggles to escape the demons of his past, he grapples with survival amongst the harsh Arctic wasteland.

Release date 2021 on BBC One

Filming has officially begun in Birmingham on BBC One’s adaptation of Kit de Waal’s award-winning debut novel My Name is Leon — with the full cast just announced today (1st March).

Malachi Kirby (Small Axe, Devils & Black Mirror), Monica Dolan (A Very English Scandal), Olivia Williams (The Father) and Sir Lenny Henry have joined the cast along with newcomer Cole Martin 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: 2021 on BBC Three

The creative masterminds behind Normal People are in the midst of developing Sally Rooney's first novel, Conversations with Friends, for the BBC — and recently announced some very exciting cast members.

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.

Conversations with Friends is also set in Dublin and explores the nuances and complexities of relationships. Following 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: Late 2021/ Early 2022 on BBC One

Fans of The Missing and Liar, listen up! The same production company has just been commissioned by the BBC and HBO Max to start production on a brand new six-part thriller set in the Australian Outback this spring - starring none other than Jamie Dornan.

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: 2021 on BBC One

Lily James is set to star in the BBC's screen adaption of Nancy Mitford's classic novel.

The three-part period drama follows cousins Linda and Fanny, who travel across Europe between the two world wars, in the pursuit of finding perfect husbands. Dominic West stars as Linda's father and Fleabag's Andrew Scott makes an appearance as their aristocratic neighbour Lord Merlin.

Release date: 2021 on BBC One

Following on from the success of Hugh Grant's turn as disgraced MP Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal, the anthology series now moves on to focus on the messy 1963 divorce of Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, from her second husband – with the new script being penned by Agatha Christie writer Sarah Phelps.

Release date: Late 2021 on BBC One

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.

Release date: 2021 on BBC Two

Adam Kay's bestselling memoir is set to be turned into an 8-part TV series by the BBC, starring Ben Whishaw (Paddington and Skyfall), and produced by Kay himself, who, after giving up life as a doctor, aptly turned his hand to comedy and screenwriting.

Written as a diary-like insight to Kay’s life on the NHS frontline, we’re given a glimpse into the excruciatingly long and unrelenting hours put in by a junior doctor.

'Kay’s diaries, scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, tell the unvarnished truth of life as a doctor working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology,' say the BBC.

Release date TBC on BBC Two

A new six-part crime drama is coming to the BBC, starring Martin Freeman as urgent response officer Chris.

Written by first-time author Tony Schumacher, the show will be based on the former policeman's real life experiences, as he tackles a series of six night shifts on the beat in Liverpool, whilst struggling with his own mental health.

Release date: TBC BBC Three

Nicôle Lecky’s first original six-part drama Superhoe is based on her one woman show of the same name. Following 24 year-old Sasha Clayton (Lecky) who dreams of being a singer and rapper, but spends most of her time in her bedroom smoking weed and stalking her ex-boyfriend on Instagram.

Release date: TBC on BBC One

New talent Alice Seabright, who most recently directed two episodes of Sex Education (the trailer for which you can watch above), will write and direct Chloe – a six-part thriller series about a young woman who starts leading a double life to uncover the truth behind the death of her estranged best friend.

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Catch up now on BBC iPlayer

Hot off the heels of intense Irish noir Bloodlands, comes another gripping BBC drama — this time set in the frozen depths of the Arctic, and is executive produced by none other than Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, American Gangster).

Frozen and isolated at the end of the earth, this chilling, fictionalised account of Captain Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition sees the Royal Navy crew battle the harsh elements, whilst being stalked by a murderous presence. It stars Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies and Ciarán Hinds.

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Catch up now on BBC iPlayer

Bloodlands follows James Nesbitt as Northern Irish police detective Tom Brannick — who's on the hunt for an assassin after connecting a suicide note from a car pulled from the bottom of the loch with an infamous cold case he's been assigned to.

Nesbitt leads an all-star cast including Top Boy's Lisa Dwan, Cracker's Lorcan Cranitch, Being Human's Charlene McKenna and Derry Girls and Game of Thrones' Ian McElhinney.

The producer of Bodyguard and Line of Duty is behind this cat and mouse crime drama, and it had us hooked.

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