Doctor Who and Marvel stars confirmed to lead "provocative" new BBC sci-fi series from Line of Duty producers

The BBC has announced a brand new sci-fi thriller, with Doctor Who and Loki star Gugu Mbatha-Raw set to lead the cast alongside Stuart Martin and Iain De Caestecker.

Titled Sutherland, the six-part series is described as an original drama set in both Scotland and Space, and comes from World Productions Scotland (behind hits including Line of Duty and Vigil), with novelist and screenwriter James Smythe attached as writer and creator.

The series is being made for BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and BBC Scotland.

According to the official synopsis from the BBC, the story is set in the near future in the far north of Scotland, where Mbatha-Raw’s (Tish Jones in Doctor Who & Judge Ravonna Lexus Renslayer / Rebecca Tourminet in Loki) character Mirren works as flight director at Paravel Space Hub for the UK’s first crewed mission to the stars.

Just hours after launch, however, a series of unexplained events throws Sutherland into turmoil, threatening everything she has worked towards.

Martin will play local detective Logan, who is drawn back into Mirren’s world as a decades-old conspiracy begins to emerge. The pair is then forced to work together, with the mystery ultimately leading them towards a discovery that is said to change their lives forever. De Caestecker (known as Agent Leo Fitz from Agents of SHIELD) is also confirmed for a central role as Callum.

Smythe said the drama is, at heart, a “love story” as well as a tale of loss and discovery, while executive producer Jake Lushington described it as a “resonant and provocative story” within the combined setting of space travel and the Scottish Highlands.

The BBC has also teased that the series will send its central trio in directions that are both surprising enough to “captivate BBC viewers”.

Behind the camera, Chloë Wicks and Patrick Harkins are set to direct, with scripts also written by Laura Grace, Tom Mair and Helen Kingston. The project has been commissioned by Lindsay Salt and Louise Thornton, and is backed by Screen Scotland.

Simon Heath, who is also Executive Producer for Line of Duty, is taking on the same role for Sutherland — along with Jake Lushington, and George Aza-Selinger for World Productions Scotland. That’s also with Gaynor Holmes being Executive Producer on the BBC side, Gavin Smith on that of BBC Scotland, and James Scythe, as well.

Filming is due to begin in Scotland later this year, with further casting still to be announced. There’s no release date just yet, but for sci-fi fans, this already sounds like one to watch.

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