±«Óãtv

A group of courageous pioneers face a unique opportunity: the chance to build a new and better future on another planet. Outcasts is an epic new eight-part drama series created by Ben Richards for ±«Óãtv One.

They are led by President Tate (Liam Cunningham) and his core team of Stella (Hermione Norris), Cass (Daniel Mays) and Fleur (Amy Manson) – they took charge and settled here first alongside Expeditionaries Mitchell (Jamie Bamber) and Jack (Ashley Walters).

They are a diverse group of individuals who left their old lives behind in extraordinary circumstances; promised a second chance at life they created a society, far away from their home, friends, family... and their pasts.

Settled in the town of Forthaven on Carpathia, they are passionate about their jobs, confident of their ideals and optimistic about the future. They work hard to preserve what they've built on this planet they now call home, having embraced all the challenges that come with forging a new beginning.

The planet offers the possibility for both corruption and redemption; while they try to avoid the mistakes made on Earth, inevitably our heroes cannot escape the human pitfalls of love, greed, lust, loss, and a longing for those they've left behind.

As they continue to work and live together they come to realise this is no ordinary planet... is there a bigger purpose at work? Mystery lurks around them and threatens to risk the fragile peace of Forthaven.

We meet our characters at a moment of incredible anticipation, they've lost all contact with Earth but the arrival of the last known transporter signals fresh hopes and dreams. Will Stella's husband and daughter, who she heartbreakingly left behind, be on board? Why does Tate seem anxious about one particular passenger, Julius Berger (Eric Mabius)? Most nerve-wracking of all, will it land safely and bring a fresh perspective on the new world with it?

Jane Featherstone, Kudos Film & Television Creative Director and executive producer of Outcasts, says: "Finding a cast to match Ben's brilliant vision of our pioneering future was always going to be hard, but we are over the moon with the line-up on Outcasts – a group of actors so strong and diverse that I think we'll be desperate to watch as they tackle their brave new world."

Ben Stephenson, Controller, ±«Óãtv Drama Commissioning, says: "Outcasts is a richly intelligent, character-led drama full of big ideas about what it is to be human told through thrilling and surprising stories that could only appear in this show.

"Ben Richards has created a remarkable world peopled with compelling characters, and it is hugely exciting that this amazing cast is going to bring it to life."

Currently filming in South Africa for transmission on ±«Óãtv One later this year, Outcasts is produced by Radford Neville (Married, Single, Other and Wuthering Heights) and directed by Bharat Nalluri (Tsunami, Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars) and Omar Madha (Spooks, Law & Order, Burn Up).

Executive Producers are Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins, Faith Penhale and Ben Richards from Kudos and Matthew Read for the ±«Óãtv. Commissioned by Ben Stephenson and Jay Hunt, Controller, ±«Óãtv One.

Outcasts marks the latest high-profile scripted drama Kudos has produced for the ±«Óãtv over the past decade, including popular award-winning series such as Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.

Full cast and characters:

Liam Cunningham (Clash Of The Titans) is President Richard Tate, who runs Carpathia and is dedicated to keeping the human species alive.

Hermione Norris (Spooks) is Stella Isen, Head of Protection and Security (PAS), who sacrificed everything for the chance to save the world.

Amy Manson (Desperate Romantics) is Fleur Morgan, PAS Officer – young, bright and idealistic.

Daniel Mays (Ashes To Ashes) is Cass Cromwell, PAS Officer – unpredictable and fiercely loyal to Tate.

Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Gallactica) is Mitchell Hoban, Head of the Expeditionaries – progressive and ambitious.

Ashley Walters (Small Island) is Jack, Mitchell's second in command – tough, armed and dangerous.

Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) is Julius Berger – vice president of the Evacuation Programme on Earth. Berger is en route to Carpathia on board transporter CT9, expecting the power and status he enjoyed on Earth.

Michael Legge (Shameless) is Irish charmer Tipper Malone; a rebel who speaks out against the authorities representing the voice of the displaced youth.

Langley Kirkwood (Generation Kill) is leader of the ACs, a group of cloned human beings and one of Carpathia's darkest secrets.

Patrick Lyster (Invictus) is the dignified and brave commander of transporter CT9.

Jeanne Kietzmann is Lily – lost, troubled and seeking answers.

AF/LH2/CI2

Information for viewers

More content about Outcasts will be published, as transmission approaches, on this page: