ITV has announced the cast for Marcella, a new original, multi-stranded crime drama from the creator of The Bridge.

Written by Swedish novelist Hans Rosenfeldt, the eight-part series is set in contemporary London and described as “noir thriller told with Rosenfeldt’s unflinchingly multi layered Nordic style.”

Anna Friel will lead the cast in the title role, alongside Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael, Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude), Ian Puleston-Davies (Being Human), Nina Sosanya (Last Tango in Halifax), Ray Panthaki (Convenience), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Patrick Baladi (Mistresses) and Harry Lloyd (The Theory of Everything).

Friel commented: “I’m thrilled to be working on Hans Rosenfeldt’s first English drama. Scandinavian storytelling is hugely inspiring but we Brits usually have to settle for doing a remake, so to be working with Hans on an original piece for ITV is a true privilege. Marcella is a complex woman and a wonderful layered character. Hans’ marvellous scripts have drawn a fantastic cast and crew together. I can’t wait to begin.”

Marcella follows a single female detective working on a serial murder case and will “lead the audience through a narrative maze until the final moments”.

The official synopsis reads: “Marcella is shocked to the core of her being when her husband Jason (Nicholas Pinnock) leaves her unexpectedly, confessing he no longer loves her.

“Heartbroken, Marcella returns to the Met’s Murder Squad. Ten years ago Marcella gave up her fast-tracked police career to marry and devote her life to her family. With the abrupt end to her marriage and isolated from her 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son, Marcella throws herself into work to stop herself from falling apart.

“Marcella wants back in on the serial killer case she first worked on in 2005. She’s got a hunch she wants to follow up on, a hunch she couldn’t follow through with due to falling pregnant with a second child. Has the killer re-appeared or is a copycat murderer responsible for these recent deaths? How will Marcella cope returning to duties when her own temperament is so fragile and vulnerable? Will throwing herself into her work provide the answers she’s seeking? Or lead her dangerously into territory she must evade at all cost?

“Suspicious of her husband’s motives for leaving her, Marcella finds herself playing detective away from work, but will her findings lead her to further heartbreak?”

Marcella begins filming in London and surrounding areas later this month.

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