Crime writer Lynda La Plante will return to ITV next year with a prequel to Prime Suspect.

ITV has commissioned six 60-minute episodes, which will follow the young Jane Tennison at the start of her career in the Metropolitan Police.

Starring Dame Helen Mirren as DCI Tennison, Prime Suspect launched on ITV in 1991 and ran for seven seasons until 2006.

The official synopsis for Tennison reads: “It’s Hackney in the 1970s, and women police constables are being uneasily ‘integrated’ into the force. We’re introduced to 22-year-old Jane, a probationary officer in a world where high-ranking police officers were notoriously chauvinistic, and the rules and regulations often bent.

“Single-minded and ambitious, if a touch naïve, Jane’s dedicated and instinctive approach to her career is evident from the start.  Starting as a WPC on the beat, she is thrown in at the deep end, drawn into a brutal murder enquiry, and experiences first hand London’s violent criminal ganglands. She works alongside senior investigating officer DCI Bradfield, and in her first murder case, sees the devastating effects violent crime has on the victim’s family, as well as experiencing tragic ramifications herself.”

Tennison will also introduce viewers to Jane’s family and will feature “a strong sense of style” with “a 70’s musical backdrop”.

ITV’s Director of Drama Steve November commented: “I’m delighted Lynda has re-visited the iconic character of Jane Tennison. The scripts are brilliantly written and she perfectly captures the sights, sounds and mood of the 70s period.”

Writer Lynda La Plante added: “I have very much enjoyed writing the young Jane, creating her family background and the start of her career in the police force.”

Tennison will air on ITV in 2016.

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