The ultimate low-down on the 20 TV dramas you need to see this year
THERE is a spectacular line-up of new drama for the New Year, featuring some of the biggest stars in showbusiness.
The entertainment kicks off tonight and continues right through 2018.
Hard Sun, BBC1, tonight
MODEL-turned-actress Agyness Deyn, above left, plays the detective partner of Jim Sturgess, above right, in this violent sci-fi drama.
Written by Neil Cross, the creator of Luther, the six-part thriller explores how you struggle to keep law and order when nobody has anything left to lose.
Next of Kin, ITV, Monday
AS a bomb explodes in London, a family is torn apart, with one member missing and another kidnapped.
Requiem, BBC1, February
It starts with a toddler’s disappearance from a Welsh town in 1994, then jumps to today and a young woman’s disturbing journey of discovery after her mother’s suicide.
The Woman in White, BBC1, spring
FORMER EastEnder Ben Hardy returns in a five-part horror story to chill your bones.
This adaptation of Wilkie Collins’s 19th century psychological thriller, featuring a mysterious, ghostly woman, also stars Taboo actress Jessie Buckley.
Patrick Melrose, Sky Atlantic, summer
THIS five-part comedy drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a hedonistic playboy who, following a troubled childhood, lives an indulgent adult life of boozing and drug-taking spanning 40 years. Sherlock Holmes he definitely is not.
Doctor Who, BBC1, autumn
IT promises to be one of the most anticipated series in years, with the greatest mix of reactions too.
Jodie Whittaker takes over from Peter Capaldi as everyone’s favourite Time Lord, leaving fans to decide whether the new doctor works as a woman.
Vanity Fair, ITV, autumn
THE long-awaited TV adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s classic 1847 novel features an all-star cast including Suranne Jones and Michael Palin. Filmed in Britain and Budapest, the lavish co-production with Amazon chronicles two women’s lives around the Napoleonic wars.
White Dragon, ITV, late 2018
THE suspicious death of his wife in Hong Kong sees Professor Jonah Mulray – played by John Simm – try to find out if she fell victim to a murky plot or a tragic accident.
He is helped by British consulate Sally, played by Emilia Fox, in this eight-part thriller.
Kiri, C4, Wednesday
SARAH Lancashire delivers another brilliant performance in this thriller by Jack Thorne, who won a Bafta for his dark 2016 drama National Treasure.
In this equally challenging four-parter, Sarah plays social worker Miriam, caught up in a storm when nine-year-old Kiri, a child in her care, vanishes.
Call the Midwife, BBC1, late January
THE ratings winner returns for series seven, with the midwives battling the Big Freeze of 1963, when snow and ice brought Britain to a standstill.
Save Me, Sky, February
SURANNE Jones, above left, and The Walking Dead’s Lennie James, above right, star in a six-parter exploring a couple’s stormy relationship as their daughter goes missing.
Written by the Line of Duty creators, it shows how you can make up for past sins – and save someone’s life in the process.
Our Girl, BBC1, spring
AFTER a spectacular end to series two, Michelle Keegan returns for a new four-part mini-series of the Army drama.
This time Corporal Georgie Lane embarks on a perilous mission to Nigeria, where, in a reflection of real events, Muslim extremists have abducted some schoolgirls.
Kiss Me First, E4, spring
ADDICTED to an online gaming site, lonely teenager Leila meets party girl Tess, (Simona Brown, above) who has a dark secret.
Written by Bryan Elsley, who also wrote teen drama Skins, this six-part thriller looks at the relationship between the real world and the more troubling cyber world.
In The Long Run, Sky, TBC
LUTHER hunk Idris Elba has created a comedy drama based on his own childhood in the housing estates of 1980s London. He plays Walter, based on his own dad, who came to the UK from Sierra Leone, while Bill Bailey plays his best mate.
Informer, BBC1, autumn
COUNTER-terrorism officer Gabe, played by Paddy Considine, coerces a young Pakistani man from East London to go on a dangerous undercover mission.
But the six-parter sees him face increasing danger as he feeds back crucial information to combat the suspects.
Bodyguard, BBC1, autumn
A POLICE protection officer, played by Richard Madden of Game of Thrones, has to look after the Home Secretary (Keeley Hawes) – even though he hates her guts.
The six-part drama is by Line of Duty and Cardiac Arrest writer Jed Mercurio.
Clean Break, ITV, late 2018
CLEANING lady Sam – Sheridan Smith – works in Canary Wharf’s financial heartland to support her family – and a serious gambling habit.
The six-parter sees her learn about the dark side of insider trading as she tries to stem her spiralling debts.
The Little Drummer Girl, BBC1, late 2018
IT’S hoped the latest John le Carre TV adaptation will repeat the success of 2016’s The Night Manager.
The six-part series is set in the 1970s, when rising Middle East tension forms the stormy backdrop to a young actress’s discovery of a world of espionage.
Troy: Fall of a City, BBC1, late 2018
THE swords-and-sandals epic tells the mythical Trojan War story in spectacular style, particularly as it’s a BBC co-production with Netflix.
David Threlfall heads the cast in this eight-part retelling by Night Manager screenwriter David Farr.
A Very English Scandal, BBC1, late 2018
THE story of Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe’s downfall remains one of the most shocking affairs to rock British society.
In this three-parter, Hugh Grant plays Thorpe, whose career was ruined by his affair with Norman Scott, played by Ben Whishaw.