The Winter King's brand new images offer first look at key characters

The birth of baby Mordred comes at a treacherous time for the kingdom of Dumnonia, which holds bitter rivalries against fellow Britons in Siluria and Powys, while also weathering attacks from invading Saxon forces.

Set in the 5th century, The Winter King features a number of characters from Arthurian legend as you've never seen them before, retaining the same gritty realism that defined earlier Cornwell adaptation The Last Kingdom.

Seven new images have been released from the series, including a fresh look at series lead Iain De Caestecker as Arthur, who viewers may recognise from recent BBC dramas Us, Roadkill and The Control Room.

The latest batch also packs our first ever look at several characters, such as warlord Owain (Daniel Ings); a close friend to Arthur and valued champion of the High King Uther.

Teasing his role, Ings said: "My character is fairly unhinged at points – he’s seen things that left scars on his psyche.

"Otto [Bathurst, director/exec producer] and his director of photography Aske [Foss] allowed me a level of freedom that I haven’t experienced before, so that I was able to play around and find that loose, slightly wild energy.

"Otto puts a lot of trust in his actors, which really makes you want to deliver for him. So, I just hope I was able to. I’d follow him anywhere."

The Last Kingdom became known for its popular trio of warriors comprising Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), Finan (Mark Rowley) and Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravičius), with the above image evoking a similar dynamic for The Winter King.

We see Arthur (centre) flanked by his trusted fighters Sagramor (Ken Nwosu, left) and Lanval (Matt Mella, right), who have plenty of danger ahead of them as they seek to stabilise a fragile land.

Another important figure is Morgan (Valene Kane, below), loyal sister to Arthur and devout follower of the pagan religion, which she has studied extensively under powerful druid Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White).

An earlier image drop gave us our first glimpse at Arthur, Uther and Merlin, along with the latter's loyal pupil Nimue (Ellie James), and aspiring warrior Derfel (Stuart Campbell).

Below, we get another look at Campbell in the role, joined by Olumide Olorunfemi (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) as Lunete; a possible love interest who comes to the fore after his separation from Nimue.

Simon Merrells (Good Omens) steps into a villainous role for The Winter King, where he plays King Gundleus – a savage rival to Uther and Dumnonia – who rules over the nearby land of Siluria.

Lastly, we have our first look at Andrew Gower (Carnival Row) as Sansum – a novice studying under the kind-hearted Bishop Bedwin (Steven Elder) – who is fanatical about Christianity and the opposition of paganism.

The Winter King adaptation is being handled by writers Kate Brooke (A Discovery of Witches) and Ed Whitmore (Steeltown Murders), with Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials) on directing duties.

The series is released in the US next month on MGM+, while UK viewers can expect to see it on ITVX towards the end of the year (premiere date to be confirmed).

The Winter King is coming soon to ITVX. 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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