James Smythe drama will be produced by World Productions Scotland

World Productions Scotland has secured a James Smythe-created BBC drama set in Scotland and space. 

The six-part sci-fi drama stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Stuart Martin and Iain De Caestecker.  

Set in near-future version of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland, the show follows Mirren (Mbatha-Raw) who works at Paravel Space Hub as a flight director for the UK’s first crewed mission to the stars. Just hours after launch, a series of unexplained events engulfs Sutherland in mystery and risks destroying everything Mirren has been striving for.  

Local detective Logan (Martin) is unexpectedly pulled into Mirren’s orbit as a decades-old conspiracy begins to resurface, and when Logan’s investigation and Mirren’s mission threaten to unravel, the pair join forces and make an extraordinary discovery.  

Titled Sutherland, the drama was ordered by BBC commissioning editor Gaynor Holmes who said the show “is like no other and we’re so excited to bring James Smythe’s thrilling vision of Space and the Scottish highlands to the BBC”.  

Holmes ordered the drama alongside director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt and head of commissioning for BBC Scotland Louise Thornton.  

Writer and creator Smythe said: “To be making a show for the BBC is a lifelong dream. To be doing it with the amazing team at World Productions, with this unfathomably good cast and our wonderful directors, is incredible to me.” 

Laura Grace, Tom Mair and Helen Kingston are also writers for the series, with Chloë Wicks and Patrick Harkins serving as directors.  

The producer is Clare Kerr and the executive producers are Jake Lushington, Simon Heath and George Aza-Selinger for World Productions Scotland who are producing the drama in association with ITV Studios.  

The series is supported by Screen Scotland and it joins a raft of BBC scripted shows from Scotland, including Richard Gadd’s Half Man and legal drama Counsels, Grams and The Young Team, as well as new series of Shetland, Rebus, Vigil and Granite Harbour.  

Filming will take place in Scotland later this year and will air on BBC1, BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland.