Meanwhile, cast members who had previously been announced alongside Knightley, Whishaw and Lancashire include Andrew Buchan (Passenger), Andrew Koji (Bullet Train), Kathryn Hunter (Andor), Sam Troughton (Litvinenko), Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen Love), Adam Silver (Masters of the Air), Ken Nwosu (The Winter King), Gabrielle Creevy (The Pact) and Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin).
The cast of Black Doves. Netflix
The series comes from The Lazarus Project creator Joe Barton, and is set in London at Christmas-time – perhaps giving a hint as to when we can expect it to debut on Netflix.
Across the six episodes, viewers will follow Knightley's Helen Webb, a quick-witted, down to earth, dedicated wife and mother, who is also a professional spy.
For 10 years she's been passing on her politician husband's secrets to the Black Doves – the shadowy organisation she works for – but when her secret lover Jason (Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster Reed (Lancashire) calls in Helen's old friend Sam (Whishaw) to keep her safe. The duo then set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why.
When the show was first announced, Barton said: "I started writing the scripts for this show over last year's Christmas holidays, fuelled by turkey sandwiches and discarded bottles of cream liquor.
"To be now going into production with a cast and crew full of people whose work I admire so much is unbelievably exciting, and I couldn't be more thrilled to get to see this show come to life."
Black Doves will arrive in 2024. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
