Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn will be behind the new drama, D-Notice.
As fans await the highly anticipated fourth season of police drama Blue Lights, a brand-new BBC drama has been commissioned from that show's creators, Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn.
The new series, titled D-Notice, will be made up of six episodes and will be filmed in Belfast and London. It will see Patterson and Lawn delving into their past careers in the world of investigative journalism.
The series has been described as "a surprising drama that looks at how truth and power speak to one another". It will take a look at the titular mechanism, the D-notice, which allows the government to advise journalists about national security.
D-Notice is the first commission from Patterson and Lawn's new production company Hot Sauce Pictures, and is their third project for the BBC following on from The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights.
BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt recently spoke with Deadline about the series, telling the publication that it will be reminiscent of thrillers like State of Play.
"I wanted to make sure we were keeping them in the BBC because they are some of the best writers out there," Salt said. "We were talking to them about a few ideas and felt we hadn’t done a really juicy conspiracy thriller recently. They came back with D-Notice."
It is unclear whether this commission means that Blue Lights will be coming to and end with its upcoming fourth season, or whether Lawn and Patterson will be working on both D-Notice and future seasons of the police drama at the same time.
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It was recently confirmed that the fourth season of Blue Lights will feature the return of Richard Dormer as Gerry Cliff, the police sergeant who was murdered in the show's first season.
The new season will also see the return of previous cast members Hannah McClean and Jonathan Harden, for an episode which is expected to tie-up unanswered questions from the past, including about Gerry's death.
D-Notice will air on BBC One and iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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