David Tennant Joins Sherlock Creator’s New BBC/Netflix Thriller Series

With Sherlock in his rearview mirror and fresh off 2020’s Dracula, Steven Moffat is moving forward with his latest original TV show, and he’s teaming up with one of his former stars to do it. Deadline has revealed that David Tennant – who worked with Moffat on Doctor Who – has joined the cast of Inside Man, a four-part limited series to be co-produced by BBC Studios and Netflix.

Tennant’s not the only familiar face on board the project, either. The titular inside man will be played by Oscar-nominated actor Stanley Tucci. Moffat has also cast two Dracula alums for his new show – Dolly Wells (who played Agatha Van Helsing in the horror miniseries) and Lydia West (who portrayed Lucy Westenra). Specific character details are currently being kept under wraps, but a brief tease of the plot has been revealed.

Inside Man will follow a US prisoner on death row, a vicar living in a quiet English town and a school teacher trapped in a cellar who are said to “cross paths in the most unexpected way,” Moffat is known for his twisty-turny plots and surprise revelations and it looks like we can guarantee that he’s got a doozy up his sleeve for this particular project. Deadline notes that the series’ end is being kept so secret that not even Netflix and the BBC have been informed how it’ll conclude.

Sherlock director Paul McGuigan will helm all four episodes of the show and it’ll be produced by Moffat’s wife and frequent producing partner Sue Vertue. The couple released a joint statement about the news this week, saying they can’t wait to “crawl out of our lockdown bunker” to get to work on the series. Netflix’s Chris Sussman, meanwhile, says Inside Man is “fiendishly clever,” and the BBC’s Piers Wenger promises that the scripts and the cast will combine to create “television magic.”

At the same as developing Inside Man, Steven Moffat is also helming HBO’s TV adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife starring Theo James and Rose Leslie. As for David Tennant, he’s set to star in the BBC’s new Around the World in 80 Days series, coming this Christmas.