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BBC reveals first look at new drama with The Crown and Peaky Blinders stars – and it sounds gripping

Michael Sheen creates, directs and stars in the series

Steffan Rhodri in The Way
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
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The BBC has revealed a first look at its upcoming drama, The Way, which features a cast of familiar faces, including stars from The Crown, Peaky Blinders and It's A Sin. 

The series, titled The Way, is created by Michael Sheen, who makes his directorial debut for television. Penning the project is James Graham, who is also a co-creator alongside Adam Curtis. 

WATCH: Michael Sheen recently starred in BBC One's Best Interests

The three-parter, which was filmed in Port Talbot, Wales, tells the story of "an ordinary family caught up in an extraordinary chain of events that ripple out from their hometown" and promises to be "ambitious, powerful and surprising".

Steffan Rhodri in The Way© BBC
Steffan Rhodri stars in The Way

Leading the cast is Gavin and Stacey star Steffan Rhodri, alongside Keeping Faith's Mali Harries, The Pact actress Sophie Melville, It's A Sin's Callum Scott Howells and Michael Sheen as the Driscoll family, with Baptiste star Maja Laskowska playing a young woman caught up in the family's escape.

Meanwhile, Luke Evans (The Pembrokeshire Murders) stars as Hogwood, a mercenary in pursuit of the Driscolls.

Callum Scott Howells in The Way© BBC
Callum Scott Howells features in the upcoming drama

Tom Cullen (The Gold), Danny Sapani (Killing Eve), Mark Lewis Jones (The Crown) also appear in the show, alongside Paul Rhys (Discovery of Witches), Erin Richards (The Crown) and Aneurin Barnard (Cilla).

Rounding out the cast are Catherine Ayers (The Light in the Hall), Patrick Baladi (Line of Duty), Georgia Tennant (Staged), Jonathan Nefydd (Pobol y Cwm, Grav), and Matthew Aubrey (World on Fire), as well as child actor Teilo James Le Masurier, who makes his screen debut in the role of Rhys, the Driscolls' four-year-old grandson.

Callum Scott Howells in The Way© BBC
The series is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer

"The Way taps into the social and political chaos of today's world by imagining a civil uprising which begins in a small industrial town," teases the synopsis. "Fleeing unrest, The Driscolls are forced to escape the country they've always called home and the certainties of their old lives. Will they be overwhelmed by their memories of the past, or will they lay their ghosts to rest and take the risk of an unknown future?

"The Way is an emotional and darkly humorous story about what it means to be faced with impossible choices."

MORE: 9 must-watch Netflix movies, TV shows and documentaries coming out in September

The series is made by Wales-based company Red Seam in association with Little Door Production, while Adam Curtis, James Graham and Michael Sheen join Bethan Jones as executive producers for Red Seam, with Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC and Nick Andrews for BBC Cymru Wales. 

Michael and Anna at Dr Dolittle premiere© Variety
Michael Sheen with his partner Anna Lundberg

The series, which is a co-commission with BBC Cymru Wales, will air on BBC One and iPlayer. A release date has yet to be announced. 

The Way is one of many new series coming to BBC One in the coming months. Viewers can also look forward to a new six-part drama from Happy Valley screenwriter Sally Wainwright. Hot Flush follows five women who decide to form a butt-of-the-joke punk-rock band to enter a talent contest. The series takes a turn when they realise they have far more to say than they first thought.

READ: 5 Sally Wainwright-penned shows to watch if you love Happy Valley

Happy Valley and Hot Flush creator Sally Wainwright © BBC
Happy Valley and Hot Flush creator Sally Wainwright

Jenna Coleman is also set to star in a new detective series, The Jetty, while Sacha Rhadwa leads the cast of an upcoming crime series, Virdee.