David Threlfall and Joanne Whalley have been cast in BBC One’s upcoming biblical drama, The Ark.

Shameless actor Threlfall will star as Noah, while Joanne Whalley (The Borgias, Jamaica Inn) will play his wife Emmie.

Written by Hustle creator Tony Jordan, the one-off special is a retelling of the story of Noah and The Ark.

David Threlfall commented: “The story jumped off the page at me from the first reading. It’s not just a family saga but the first family saga. It takes its inspiration from many faiths and speaks of values which should be shared across all cultures. It was something I immediately wanted to be part of.”

Executive producer Belinda Campbell added: “The Ark is a timeless tale which will touch those who are both familiar with the story from the Bible, as well as those who are seeing it for the first time. Warm and humorous, it tells the tale of the impact on a family when an ordinary man undertakes to do an extraordinary thing.”

The cast also includes Emily Bevan (In The Flesh), Nico Mirallegro (Hollyoaks), Ashley Walters (Top Boy), Hannah John-Kamen (The Hour), Georgina Campbell (One Night), Ian Smith (The Syndicate), Michael Fox (New Worlds) and Andrew Hawley (Borgia).

The Ark is currently filming in Morocco.

The official synopsis reads: “Noah, a farmer and family man, is instructed by an angel to build an ark in the middle of a desert in order to save both his family and the faithful from a devastating flood.  A seemingly impossible task, especially when his sons refuse to believe him and help, Noah risks ridicule and humiliation from the degenerate townsfolk as well as his loving but exasperated family, in his quest to carry out his God-given task.

“The Ark is a timeless tale; a story of family and faith; about one man’s belief and fixation with building the ark which will ultimately save his family and mankind. It is an obsession which leads to the fragmentation of his family, a test of their faith in their father and their father’s faith in God and everything he believes in.”

> Read our review of Russell Crowe’s recent Noah movie.

Are you looking forward to The Ark? Let us know below…