ITV has released some detailed information about the new and returning shows coming to the broadcaster from December 2023 to March 2024, and there are some great things lined up! From the return of Vicky McClure’s police bomb disposal officer to Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon, to national treasure Stephen Fry taking on a classic American game show, there is something for everyone! Here is a breakdown of shows to watch out for in the next few months on ITV.
Drama & Comedy
The Winter King – 21 December 2023 – ITVX
The new six-part series has been written by Simon Ashdown (Our House, EastEnders), Amanda Duke (Treason) and Daniel Brierley, and the programme was created by Daniel Brierley.
This series is set in the fifth century in a brutal land of warring factions and tribes where lives were often fleeting and follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from being an outcast and becomes a legendary warrior and leader.
The series stars Iain De Caestecker (The Control Room, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Arthur Pendragon, alongside Eddie Marsan (The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, Deceit) as High King Uther, Ellie James (Giri/Haji, I May Destroy You) as Nimue, Nathaniel Martello-White (Small Axe, I Hate Suzie) as Merlin, Stuart Campbell (Rogue Heroes, Clique) as Derfel, Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie, The Crown) as Owain, Valene Kane (The Fall, Gangs of London) as Morgan, Jordan Alexandra (Mammals) as Guinevere and Simon Merrells (Good Omens, Knightfall) as Gundleus.
The ensemble cast also features Steven Elder (The King, A Spy Among Friends) as Bishop Bedwin, Andrew Gower (Outlander, Carnival Row) as Sansum, Aneirin Hughes (Keeping Faith, Dream Horse) as Gorfydd, Emily John (My Policeman) as Ceinwyn, Tatjana Nardone (Devils, State of Consciousness) as Ladwyss, Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve, The Letter for the King) as Sagramor, and Billy Postlethwaite (The Great, Chernobyl) as Cadwys.
Vera, Special – 26th December 2023 – ITV1/ITVX (followed by Season 13 in Early 2024)
Starring the internationally acclaimed and award-winning actress Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope, Season 13 sees the return of actor and director David Leon as Joe Ashworth.
Joining Brenda and David for the three new feature-length episodes are Jon Morrison as DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones as DC Mark Edwards, Sarah Kameela Impey as pathologist Dr Paula Bennett, and Rhiannon Clements (Ridley, Hollyoaks) as new and ambitious DC Steph Duncan who joins Vera’s team.
‘Vera’ returns first with a special on Boxing Day, followed by the three self-contained crime stories in the new series that draw inspiration from the best-selling novels and characters created by acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves in Early 2024.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office – 4th January 2024 at 10.45pm – ITV1/ITVX
A new four-part series written by acclaimed screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes tells the story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
Hundreds of innocent subpostmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system – many of the wronged workers were prosecuted, some of whom were imprisoned for crimes they never committed, and their lives were irreparably ruined by the scandal.
Toby Jones will play Alan Bates while Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Alex Jennings, Ian Hart, Lia Williams, Will Mellor, Clare Calbraith, Shaun Dooley, Amit Shah, Lesley Nicol, Adam James and Katherine Kelly also join the cast.
Between 2000 and 2013, the Post Office held thousands of its own subpostmasters and postmistresses liable for financial discrepancies thrown up by Horizon, its hugely expensive but unreliable computerised accounting system – despite warnings that the system was flawed, the Post Office relentlessly pursued the subpostmasters and postmistresses, telling many of them that they were the only ones having problems with Horizon. Of those affected by the faulty IT system, 736 were prosecuted and hundreds more lost livelihoods, homes and life savings because they paid back money that the Post Office claimed was missing. Several went to prison – some while pregnant or with young children – many were shunned by their communities, and some have since died before they could find any justice.
The drama will tell how, in 2009, a group of subpostmasters from across the UK decided that enough was enough and formed the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance.
G’Wed, Season 1 – 8th February 2024 – ITVX
Set in Liverpool and filmed entirely on location, this series will feature an exciting cast of fresh young local talent alongside established actors and firmly use Liverpool’s distinctive voice to delve into working-class culture.
G’Wed isn’t shy of tackling big issues like grief, sex, diversity and class differences, and it’s all done with a wicked sense of humour – the series first introduces us to Reece, who is played by Dylan Thomas-Smith, a cheeky quick-witted lad whose final warning from headmaster Mr Meacher (played by Louis Emerick) pushes him into mentoring a new kid in the resilient and self-deprecating Southerner Christopher, who is played by Jake Kenny-Byrne (Endeavour).
Reece’s best mates are the loveable, sincere and often unfiltered Connor (played by Max Ainsworth), soft-hearted sheep in wolf’s clothing Ted (played by Dominic Murphy), and the easily excitable, fun-loving and loyal Mo, who is played by Zak Douglas (Ridley/After Life).
Extraordinary, Season 1 – 15th February 2024 – ITVX
Comedy series Extraordinary, a Disney+ UK original production, written by series creator and co-executive producer Emma Moran and executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle (Killing Eve, The Durrells) and Lee Morris and Charles Dawson, is set in a world where everyone develops a power on their 18th birthday… everyone, that is, except for Jen (Máiréad Tyers).
The series sees 25-year-old Jen adrift in a big, confusing world and armed with nothing but a bit of hope, a lot of desperation, and her flatmates as she begins her journey to find her superpower. Also starring Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna and Luke Rollason and Siobhán McSweeney.
If you don’t watch anything else on this list, watch this. It is brilliant!
The Dry Seasons 1 & 2 – ITVX – 29th February 2024
Starring Roisin Gallagher (The Lovers, Nowhere Special), Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair, Frank of Ireland), Siobhán Cullen (Origin, The Limehouse Golem) and Moe Dunford (The Dig, Vikings), this comedy-drama celebrates chaos and absurdities in family life.
Newcomer Adam Richardson and BAFTA and Academy Award nominee Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, Belfast) also star as Shiv Sheridan (Gallagher) returns to Dublin after years of partying in London – she is sober and full of good intentions, but being back with her family makes staying on ‘the dry’ much harder than she expected.
As Shiv tries to navigate this new phase of her life, so must her family… and they all have issues they don’t want to face.
Trigger Point, Season 2 – Early 2024 – ITV1/ITVX
Vicky McClure stars as a police bomb disposal officer – an Expo – who works in the Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Squad alongside fellow officers who risk their lives daily in the face of danger.
Alongside Vicky (Without Sin), who stars as Lana ‘Wash’ Washington, the second series features returning cast members Nabil Elouahabi (Unforgotten, The Tower) as Hass, Eric Shango (Suspicion) as Danny, Mark Stanley (Happy Valley, The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe) as DI Thom Youngblood, Kerry Godliman (After Life, Whitstable Pearl) as Sonya Reeves, Kris Hitchen (Four Lives) as John, and Kevin Eldon (Sanditon) as Jeff.
The second season also features new cast members Natalie Simpson (North Sea Connection, Outlander) – who plays DS Helen Morgan – Julian Ovenden (Bridgerton), who plays Commander John Francis, and Tomiwa Edun as Alex (Young Wallander, Trying).
Grantchester, Season 8 – Early 2024 – ITV1/ITVX
The fan-favourite crime drama returns for an eighth series – produced by Kudos (a Banijay UK company), the series will see Robson Green returning as DI Geordie Keating and Tom Brittney as Reverend Will Davenport.
Will is the happiest he’s ever been, but his world will be rocked by a terrible accident – he’s always preached the word of a compassionate God, but how can he now when his despair leads him on a dangerous downward spiral?
Meanwhile, Geordie has found a new contentment in his relationship with Cathy, but when they are both confronted with shocking announcements at work their happiness is threatened – as Mrs C, Leonard, Jack and Daniel rally around, both Will and Geordie find themselves in unfamiliar emotional waters… and murder is always around the corner.
The eighth series of Grantchester will range from speedway to spies and explore the lives of invisible women and the very visible problems caused by Leonard’s new vocation which may once again find him battling the law. Exploring faith, forgiveness, and redemption, this explosive series tests Will and Geordie to the limit – Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts) returns as Bonnie alongside Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs C, Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe and Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman.
Special guest actors for this series include Shaun Dingwall (Top Boy, Noughts & Crosses), Jeff Rawle (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Doc Martin), and Jemima Rooper (Gold Digger, The Girlfriend Experience).
Significant Other – Early 2024 – ITV1
BAFTA Award-winner Katherine Parkinson and RTS Award-winner Youssef Kerkour are the leads of this comedy-drama from multi-award-winning producer Nicola Shindler (Quay Street Productions – part of ITV Studios) and written by Dana Fainaru and Hamish Wright.
Adapted from yes Studios’ award-winning Israeli series of the same name, the series will follow two lonely neighbours who embark on a hesitant and obstacle-filled relationship after drastic life events bring them together – as this strange love story unfolds with wryly observed wit and warmth, could these deeply flawed individuals – both at a time in their lives when change is difficult and rarely expected – influence each other for the better? The cast also includes Kelle Bryan, Mark Heap, Ben Bailey Smith, Sue Vincent, Shaun Williamson, Olivia Poulet and Will Ash.
Significant Other is in association with, and distributed internationally by, ITV Studios.
Breathtaking – Early 2024 – ITV1/ITVX
A searing, thought-provoking and poignant account of an NHS doctor in the eye of the storm during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The drama stars Joanne Froggatt in the role of a frontline hospital consultant, is based on doctor-writer Rachel Clarke’s unflinching personal memoir of the greatest public health crisis in living memory, was adapted for television by Rachel Clarke and former junior hospital doctors Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah and will be directed by Craig Viveiros (Angela Black, The Watch, The War of the Worlds).
Set in a fictional big-city hospital, the drama narrates how frontline medical staff endured fear and frustration as they desperately tried to save the lives of coronavirus patients – a mother of two small children and known for her calm approach in a crisis, Abbey witnesses the virus begin to take hold first-hand as it overwhelms the NHS and creates conditions of unprecedented adversity.
After the Flood – Early 2024 – ITV1/ITVX
When an unidentified man is found dead in a lift in an underground car park and police assume that he became trapped as the waters rose, PC Joanna Marshall (Sophie Rundle) becomes obsessed with discovering what happened.
How did he get in the lift and why does no-one know who he is? The mystery unfolds across the series while we also see the real impact of climate change on the lives of residents in this small town – the floods threaten to expose secrets as fortunes and reputations are at stake, but how far will people go to protect themselves?
The compelling drama is written by BAFTA-nominated writer Mick Ford and stars Sophie Rundle (Gentleman Jack, Peaky Blinders), Philip Glenister (Belgravia, Life on Mars), Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood, Bridgerton), Nicholas Gleaves (The Crown, The Rising, Bodyguard), Matt Stokoe (Cursed, Jamestown), Jonas Armstrong (The Bay, Floodlights) and Jacqueline Boatswain (Carnival Row, Ridley).
Passenger – Early 2024 – ITVX/ITV1
A close-knit community in the small Northern village of Chadder Vale is sent spinning on its axis following a series of strange and unnatural crimes.
After arriving there five years ago, former Met Police detective Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku, Loki, Damilola, Our Loved Boy, Lovecraft Country) has been searching for that ‘one big crime’, that one challenge that will make her feel alive again.
When local girl Katie Wells (Rowan Robinson, So Awkward) is mysteriously abducted one night, her car is found abandoned and there are traces of blood on the seats – however, the village barely has time to register Katie’s disappearance before she reappears the next day safe and sound.
The rest of the villagers ask few questions and life resumes as normal, but for Riya – a relative outsider to the Chadder Vale way of life – none of this sits right. As a series of strange happenings and increasingly horrific crimes start unfolding within the village, the residents start resorting to short-sighted theories and blaming outside influences – Riya fights hard to convince the villagers that all is not as it seems, and before long she is drawn into a universe unlike anything she has ever seen.
Under the Banner of Heaven – Early 2024 – ITVX
Inspired by the true crime bestseller by Jon Krakauer, this series follows the events that led to the 1984 murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah.
As Detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) investigates events that transpired within the Lafferty family, he uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith – what Pyre, who is a devout Mormon, unearths leads him to question his own faith.
The seven-episode limited series also stars Sam Worthington, Denise Gough, Wyatt Russell, Billy Howle, Gil Birmingham, Adelaide Clemens, Rory Culkin, Seth Numrich, Chloe Pirrie and Sandra Seacat.
Entertainment Shows – January to March 2024 On ITV1/ITVX
For those of you who like awards shows, ITV now has the UK broadcast rights to The Oscars, which will air on Sunday the 10th of March 2024. They also will return to The BRIT Awards 2024 on Saturday the 2nd of March 2024.
For celebrity TV shows, we have The Masked Singer back for a new season on ITV1, (heaven help us…) a Celebrity Big Brother series on ITV2, alongside Love Island: All Stars, and the return of Dancing on Ice. If you like your celebrity with a little more chat, The Jonathan Ross Show also returns. There is also Big Zuu’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours, which sees Big Zuu take both viewers and an all-star array of celebrity guests on a quest across Europe to get a true flavour of each city through its local delicacies.
On the game and quiz show front, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? returns with Jeremy Clarkson, along with a new season of The 1% Club with Lee Mack, Beat the Chasers with Bradley Walsh, and Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win. The Geordie duo are also back with a new (and final, for now) season of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway before it goes on hiatus for a few years.
There are also a couple of big-hitters coming to ITV, with the return of Wheel of Fortune, hosted by BAFTA Award-winner Graham Norton, and on New Year’s Day, classic American game show Jeopardy! returns to the UK with national treasure Stephen Fry as host.
