Updated on 18 February 2021: Do you count Line Of Duty, Bodyguard, and Bodies among your favourite TV shows of all time? Then you’ll be very pleased to learn that their creator, Jed Mercurio, is working with a talented new writer to produce yet another must-watch contemporary thriller for the BBC.

And the trailer for Bloodlands, which premieres on BBC One on Sunday 21 February at 9pm, looks… well, it looks bloody brilliant, quite frankly.

Here’s what you need to know about the must-watch series.

What’s the plot of Bloodlands?

In the east of Northern Ireland, police and divers are working hard to retrieve a car from the depths of Strangford Lough. And, when they finally manage to do so, they find what seems to be a suicide note inside.

It quickly becomes apparent, though, that this is far from an open-and-shut case. Because, when police detective Tom Brannick sees that note, he quickly connects it to an infamous cold case with enormous personal significance.

“Bloodlands follows his dogged hunt for a legendary assassin, an explosive cat-and-mouse game where the stakes have never been higher,” promises the BBC.

Is there a trailer for Bloodlands?

You can watch the trailer for Bloodlands below:

Who stars in the cast of Bloodlands?

As reported on 21 January 2021: James Nesbitt, who leads Bloodlands as Tom Brannick, says: “It’s great to be back making a drama in and about Northern Ireland, which now has a film and television industry as good as any in the world. 

“[Especially as] we have compelling scripts from a brilliant young writer who was raised in County Down, which are very exciting and psychologically complex.”

Nesbitt is joined by an all-star cast, which boasts the talents of Top Boy’s Lisa Dwan, Ripper Street’s Charlene McKenna, and Game Of Thrones’ Ian McElhinney.

Lorcan Cranitch, Lola Petticrew, Chris Walley, Michael Smiley, Kathy Kiera Clarke, and Susan Lynch will also appear in the drama.

What are people saying about Bloodlands?

Bloodlands is Chris Brandon’s first original drama series commission. And, when asked about the opportunity to bring his work to the small screen, he says: “I’m absolutely delighted that the first opportunity I get to tell a story on this scale, it is one that is so close to home and the people and places that raised me.

“On top of that, to be telling it with James Nesbitt, Jed Mercurio and the incredible team at HTM is a total privilege.”

Mercurio adds: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to discover Chris Brandon’s work and to witness the development of an outstanding new voice in contemporary television thriller writing, added to which everyone at HTM Television is honoured an actor of James Nesbitt’s brilliance will star in our debut production.”

And Jimmy Mulville, executive producer for HTM Television, promises: “This is a compelling edge-of-the-seat thriller which couldn’t be more timely.

“The ‘Irish noir’ genre has arrived!”

When will Bloodlands be available to watch?

Bloodlands premieres on BBC One on Sunday 21 February at 9pm.

Images: BBC