Industry

ITV Studios is heading to MIPCOM with an ambitious new drama slate led by lunar thriller First Woman, alongside four new titles, major returning series and the addition of the globally acclaimed Sherlock to its sales catalogue. The studio is also bringing a high-profile delegation of talent to Cannes, including Luke Evans for The Party, Richard Armitage for Winter, Adrian Dunbar for Line of Duty, Lauren Lyle for Karen Pirie and award-winning writer Steven Moffat for Number 10.

Among the new launches is First Woman, a co-production of Mammoth Screen and Alcon International Studios in co-production with ZDF. The thriller stars Andrea Riseborough, Ashley Walters, Alex Hassell and Jennifer Ehle and follows a female astronaut who mysteriously goes missing on the moon. Also joining the slate is Number 10, a workplace drama set inside the world’s most famous address. The series features an ensemble cast including Rafe Spall, Jenna Coleman and Katherine Kelly. Eagle Eye Drama’s Winter, based on the hit French drama Balthazar, stars Richard Armitage as a gifted but unconventional pathologist in Bristol. World Productions’ The Party, meanwhile, is an adaptation of Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel. The suspenseful thriller stars Tom Cullen and Luke Evans, with Sarah Solemani also starring and writing the scripts. The series is set to launch on ITV on Sunday 11 October.

ITV Studios’ returning titles include three World Productions hits. Line of Duty returns for its seventh season, bringing back Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, with Robert Carlyle joining the cast. The series is described as the most-watched UK TV drama of the 21st century. Vigil returns for a third installment, with Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie starring in the thriller, which moves to the Arctic Circle. Karen Pirie, adapted from Val McDermid’s bestselling crime novels, also returns. Completing the returning slate is season three of Ludwig, from Big Talk Studios. The International Emmy Award-winning detective drama stars David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin and follows a genius puzzle setter who becomes a police consultant. The first episode of season two attracted 9.1 million viewers, making it the BBC’s biggest scripted launch of 2026 to date.

ITV Studios is also adding all four original seasons of Hartswood Films’ Sherlock (2010-2017) to its global sales catalogue. The award-winning reimagining of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Andrew Scott and was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

Tom Clark, EVP, Global Sales & Commercial Strategy at ITV Studios, said: “Our slate presents the very best in world-class storytelling, anchored by our ambitious new lunar thriller First Woman, with a story that couldn’t be more timely and production qualities that are truly out of this world, in every sense. When it comes to crime and thrillers, I believe we have one of, if not the best line-up of any Studio, with new and gripping titles like The Party and Winter alongside blockbuster returners such as Line of Duty and Vigil, plus the newly added iconic franchise Sherlock (2010-2017). We’re extremely grateful to all the exceptional talent for joining us in Cannes to bring these shows to life for our partners.”