Details have been unveiled by Channel 4 about the dramas coming up in its autumn/winter schedule. 

 

Featuring a mix of new and returning series, headline cast names include Peter Mullan, Gabriel Byrne, Damian Lewis, John Simm and Olivia Colman.

 

Gabriel Byrne heads the cast of a contemporary conspiracy thriller called “Coup”. Supported by Douglas Hodge, Gina McKee and Charles Dance, Byrne plays politician Tom Dawkins, a reluctant hero who finds himself thrust into the spotlight of front-line politics when he least expects to be, and who risks everything by taking on the establishment.

 

Also coming up is “Here and There”, a feature-length drama directed by Michael Winterbottom and produced by Revolution Films. Here and There stars John Simm as a prisoner and Shirley Henderson as his wife. Channel 4 calls it “a tender portrayal of a family living through a prison sentence.”

 

Peter Mullan stars in “The Fear” as a Brighton crime boss turned grandee Richie Becket. Becket’;s legacy is under threat when the family firm, now run by his two sons, faces ruthless new rivals in the form of a gang of Albanians moving in on their empire. His sons need a peacemaker, but his erratic and increasingly extreme behaviour only inflames the situation.

 

Other new titles in the slate include “My Fat Mad Teenage Diary”, “Complicit”, “Run”, “Utopia” and a sequel to animated favourite “The Snowman”. 

 

Channel 4 says: “In 1982, Channel 4 first broadcast an instant classic: The Snowman. Channel 4 will be celebrating its 30 year anniversary and the enduring charm of this favourite with a new sequel to the Christmas classic.”

 

As for returning drama, there will be new series of “Beaver Falls”, “Fresh Meat”, “Homeland”, “Misfits” and “Top Boy”.