New BBC detective show set in north-east England
BBC/Rivers Meet Productions/Signpost Entertainment/Zoila BrozasA new TV show starring Robson Green is to be set and produced in north-east England.
The Northumbria Mysteries will star Green as jack-of-all trades Joe Ruby unravelling a series of crimes in Northumberland.
The show is part of the BBC's North East Creative Cluster - a programme designed to strengthen production and skills in the region.
Green said he was "happy to be working" and doing so in a place he was still "very proud to call home".
He said Northumberland was a "production designer's dream" because of its iconic landmarks, such as Hadrian's Wall and Bamburgh Castle.
"They're absolutely astonishing and give us all comfort when we're there and I think that will really, really help the drama," he told BBC Look North.
"Northumberland, the landscape in itself, is a principal character."
In the show Joe Ruby, an ex-convict and gambler with links to the criminal world, will team up with Oxford-educated DI Rose O'Connell - casting to be announced - to solve mysteries.
"Set against this amazing backdrop, you have this really unusual, likeable and oddball pairing, who slowly realise they have a connection," said Green.
"They're trying to work out what that connection is and then later on through the series, what to do with that connection."
Newcastle's Lonesome Pine Productions is creating the new crime drama and its executive producer, Lesley Douglas, said she "could not be happier to have Robson Green lead the cast".
"Working with the BBC to realise these characters has been a labour of love," she said.
'More to come'
The creative cluster will also produce more short films in the region for The One Show, as well as a new adaptation of Sue Townend's book The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾.
The 10-part series was announced in November and will be filmed at The Northern Studios in Hartlepool and on location in the town and Sunderland.
Four independent production companies have also been selected to take part in the BBC's Digital Accelerator.
The scheme, which is being run in partnership with North East Screen, will create content for 16 to 24 year olds on YouTube, TikTok and Twitch.
The companies selected are County Durham's Adventure Alliance Films, Gateshead's Film Nova, Newcastle's Northern Child and Middlesbrough's Wander Films.
BBC commissioner for daytime and early peak, Helen Munson, said it was an "exciting time for the North East".
"From fantastic new drama The Northumbria Mysteries with Lonesome Pine to the development opportunities across digital and The One Show, the BBC is committed to working with the world class talent this region has to offer," she said.
"And there's more to come, so watch this space."
The BBC has also extended a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the North East, which sets out further commitments until December 2027, the end of the broadcaster's current Charter period.
The MOU commits the BBC to spend an additional £15m in the region, bringing the total to £40m.
CEO of North East Screen Alison Gwynn said the commitment showed the corporation believed the region was a "welcoming home" for major productions.
"Having the BBC behind us means more jobs, more training pathways, and more chances for people from every corner of our region to be part of a thriving screen industry," she said.