Sky Atlantic has announced the commission of a new drama series from the makers of Line of Duty.

Gone is created and written by Lennie James (Critical, The Walking Dead) and directed by BAFTA winner Nick Murphy (Occupation, The Last Kingdom).

Lennie James will star as hero Nelly in the series, alongside Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster, Scott & Bailey) and Stephen Graham (This is England, Boardwalk Empire).

James commented: “Everyone knows someone like Nelly. He’s the fella constantly at the end of the bar. The fella that can’t help himself, never really grew up and has wasted who he could have been. They are usually the cautionary tale. They are almost never the hero. In Gone, Nelly might just be…”

Suranne Jones added: “I’m so thrilled to be part of Lennie’s unique creation. His writing is so compelling, his portrayal of the world so distinctive. It is completely different to anything I’ve done before.”

The official synopsis reads: “Gone brings a unique and unlikely hero to Sky Atlantic in the form of Nelson ‘Nelly’ Rowe (James) – a man who ‘likes a drink’, whose days are bookended by his first can and his last pint. Nelly lives with whichever woman he happens to be sleeping with at the time – often more than one and sometimes more than two. And he is the life and soul of the pub – a charmer, a chancer, a fighter, a liar and, at his age, a man who should know better.

“When Nelly is accused of a terrible crime, he sets off to clear his name and find the real perpetrator. It is a journey that will slam him hard up against the debris of his careless past but also offer him the chance to make amends for his mistakes, not least to Claire (Jones) with who he shared a ‘summer of love’ 13 years ago.

“Set on a south east London housing estate, Gone is the story of a man facing the stark and painful reality that the very worst thing happening to someone he loves could be the best thing that has ever happened to him.”

Head of drama for Sky, Anne Mensah teased: “The multi-talented Lennie James has mixed a gripping mystery with utterly unique characters. Gone exemplifies the originality we aim for on Sky Atlantic.”

Are you looking forward to Gone? Let us know below…