Martin Clunes is set to make his TV comeback, after saying goodbye to Doc Martin last year. Confirming the news, ITV teased what's to come, explaining that the star will portray a "farmer confronted with dark forces seeping into his rural community."
The new series titled Out There will mark another collaboration between Martin Clunes and British screenwriter, Ed Whitmore. The pair last teamed up for the True Crime series, Manhunt, which dramatised the real-life investigations of Colin Sutton, an inspector with the London Police Department.
A completely different story this time around, Out There will focus on the damage to a community plagued by a drug gang.
According to ITV, "The drama will depict the stealthy, surreptitious invasion of the land our farmer cherishes, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers, essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas.
Addressing his role in the upcoming series, Martin said: "I'm very happy to be working with Marc Evans and Ed Whitmore again after the success of Manhunt. Out There couldn't be more different from Doc Martin. It's pretty dark, but definitely a story worth telling."
Martin, who is billed as farmer Nathan Williams, will act opposite Louis Ashbourne Serkis.
Cast as Nathan's son Johnny, The 19-year-old actor is best known for his performance in the 2019 fantasy adventure film The Kid Who Would Be King. Fans may also recognise him as the son of Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne.
MORE: The true story behind new drama Love & Death
READ: Outlander star's new BBC drama is all about Viagra – get the details
Meanwhile, Mark Lewis Jones, Natalia Kostrzewa, Carly-Sophia Davies, and Gerran Howell are also slated to star. Currently, the cast members are hard at work, with production taking place in Wales. Director Marc Evans revealed that filming will "explore beautiful and rarely seen areas around the Black Mountains."
Martin's role in Out There will mark one of his first appearances since wrapping on Doc Martin in 2022.
The show, which had been a huge hit with its loyal fan base since it began in 2004, starred Martin Clunes as the cantankerous Doc Martin as he treats patients in the sleepy Cornish fishing village of Portwenn. Appearing on an episode of Loose Women, the actor explained why it felt like the right time to say goodbye to the series: "Well, all good things have to come to an end. I'm sure there's lots of people who aren't fans of the show who think it's terribly repetitive anyway, but we're at huge pains not to repeat ourselves," he said.
"And I just think we've sort of done everything. It would be so great to carry on but I don't think we could keep it as good. We've got such a lovely cast, and it's been sixteen years."