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Jamie Dornan to star in BBC thriller set in Australian Outback

Jamie Dornan will star in a new BBC thriller from the makers of The Missing and Liar.

Set in the Australian Outback, The Tourist will star the Northern Irish actor, 38, as a man searching for his identity after waking up in hospital with amnesia.

The six-part series is produced by Two Brothers Pictures, the production company of Harry and Jack Williams, and was commissioned last year by BBC One in association with Stan, the Australian streaming service.

The drama will star Dornan as a British man who finds himself in the Outback being pursued by a vast tank-truck that is trying to drive him off the road.

He wakes up in hospital with no idea who he is and must search for his missing identity as he is pursued by figures from his past.

Australian actress Danielle Macdonald will star as Helen Chambers, a fledgling probationary constable, and Line Of Duty’s Shalom Brune-Franklin will play Luci, a waitress who is swept into the man’s journey for answers.

Lord Of The Rings star Hugo Weaving will also play Agent Lachlan Rogers, a highly regarded detective inspector leading the major crime department for state police.

Mortal Engines World Premiere – London
Hugo Weaving (Ian West/PA)

Filming will take place on location in Australia in 2021.

Its creators promise the series will be “a story of self-discovery with a ticking timebomb underneath”.

50 Shades Of Grey star Dornan said: “The Tourist are some of the most exciting scripts I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to go to Australia with such a talented group of people.”

The Williams brothers, writers and managing directors of Two Brothers Pictures, said: “We’re hugely excited about this show.

“It’s tonally breaking new ground for us, and having Jamie Dornan on board is the icing on the Australian cake.

“Thrilled to be working with (executive producer and director) Chris Sweeney again as well as the BBC, HBO Max, Stan and ZDF.”

Macdonald said: “Helen is a fascinating and intriguing character, I fell in love with her on page one. I ended up reading all the episodes in one sitting because I couldn’t put them down!

“I’m so excited to get to be a part of this incredible project and I can’t wait to start filming alongside the amazing cast and production team.”