'Miss Scarlet's Duke Heads to Scotland & Space in New Series
Stuart Martin and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are an investigative duo in Scotland and Space in 'Sunderland.'
He may have exited Miss Scarlet a few seasons early, but Stuart Martin doesn't plan on going anywhere. The BBC has just announced production has begun on a brand-new series in which Martin will be part of the main ensemble. Titled Sutherland, it is "an original new sci-fi thriller" set in futuristic Scotland.... and space.
The project comes from science fiction writer James Smythe (The Anomaly Quartet), as part of the BBC's expansion to create television shows in Scotland and Wales. Gaynor Holmes, Commissioning Editor for the BBC, bills it as "Space and the Scottish Highlands," fitting it nicely alongside other Scottish-based hits like Vigil (which Smyth has written for) and Shetland.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Martin will star as the series detective, Logan, who is drawn into an out-of-this-world case at Paravel Space Hub, by a woman named Mirren, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface). Known for her roles in the Marvel series Loki and the Doctor Who offshoot The War Between the Land & the Sea, Mbatha-Raw is a science fiction fan-favorite, and it would be great to see her turn this into a breakout role.
Here's the series’ current synopsis:
Sutherland, the far north of Scotland, the near future. Mirren works at Paravel Space Hub as flight director for the U.K.'s first crewed mission to the stars. Everything is going to plan when, just hours after launch, a series of unexplained events engulf Sutherland in mystery, risking everything Mirren’s been striving for.
As a decades-old conspiracy begins to resurface, local detective Logan is unexpectedly pulled back into Mirren's orbit. When Logan’s investigation and Mirren’s mission threaten to unravel, the pair join forces to make an extraordinary discovery that will change their lives forever.
Mbatha-Raw and Martin will be joined by someone else pretty familiar to science fiction fans. Iain De Caestecker became famous as part of the duo of Leo & Fitz alongside Elizabeth Henstridge in the Marvel universe. Since leaving the role, he's been focusing more on British and Scottish productions, such as The Winter King. Combined with fellow Marvel alum Mbatha-Raw, this series is coming in with a decent-sized built-in fanbase that will at least check out the premiere.
The series does not yet have an American distributor on board, but with the cast and the premise, it seems pretty much guaranteed to land somewhere. (Hopefully, somewhere like Netflix or BritBox, rather than Peacock or MGM+.)
Smythe penned the six-part drama with Laura Grace, Tom Mair, and Helen Kingston. Directors Chloë Wicks and Patrick Harkins split helming duties with Clare Kerr producing. Smythe is executive producer alongside Jake Lushington, Simon Heath & George Aza-Selinger for World Productions Scotland, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland.
Sunderland is expected to commence filming in the latter half of 2026 and arrive in mid-to-late 2027.
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