BBC orders outer space sci-fi thriller set in Scotland, Kevin Bridges football doc

Sutherland cast members (L-R) Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Stuart Martin and Iain De Caestecker

The BBC has commissioned a sci-fi thriller set in Scotland and outer Space, made by World Productions Scotland (Vigil) and written and created by James Smythe (All Her Fault), as well as a football doc ahead of Scotland’s appearance at the men’s FIFA World Cup 2026.

Six-part drama Sutherland will star Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Fuze, Loki, The Girl Before), Stuart Martin (Army of Thieves, In Flight, Rebel Moon) and Iain De Caestecker (Roadkill, The Winter King, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D).

Set in the near future, the series follows Mbatha-Raw’s character who works at Paravel Space Hub in Sutherland, in the far north of Scotland, as flight director for the UK’s first crewed mission to the stars.

Everything is going to plan when, just hours after launch, a series of unexplained events engulf Sutherland in mystery and risk destroying everything she has been striving for.

Sutherland is part of a growing list of BBC dramas from Scotland, including Richard Gadd’s Half Man, new legal drama Counsels, Grams and The Young Team alongside forthcoming new seasons of Shetland, Rebus, Vigil and Granite Harbour.

Sutherland is produced by World Productions in association with ITV Studios, who will distribute the series internationally.

The series was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, and Louise Thornton, head of commissioning for BBC Scotland. It will air on BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland.

The show is written by Smythe, Laura Grace, Tom Mair and Helen Kingston, and directed by Chloë Wicks and Patrick Harkins. The producer is Clare Kerr.

The executive producers are Jake Lushington, Simon Heath and George Aza-Selinger for World Productions Scotland, Gaynor Holmes, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland and Smythe. The series is supported by Screen Scotland.

Filming will take place in Scotland later this year and further casting will be announced.

Smythe said: “Sutherland is at heart a love story, a story of loss, a story of discovery – and a story that speaks to our collective desire to understand more about both what’s far above us, and what’s right at our feet.”

Lushington said: “At a time when many question the expense and need for space travel, and with so many problems on our own planet, Sutherland asks the timely question: are the answers out there or have they been right here all along?”

In related news, the BBC has ordered Kevin Bridges: In Search of the Beautiful Game (1×60′), which will air ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2026 this summer.

Made by Bango Studios, it sees Scottish football superfan Bridges examine the contemporary state of football and its cultural significance as the country prepares to play in the tournament for the first time since 1998.

The commissioners for the BBC are Neil McCallum for BBC Entertainment and Heather Kane-Darling for BBC Scotland. Iain Wimbush is the exec producer for Bango Studios. It will be produced by Liam O’Hare and directed by Tommy Forbes.

Bridges said: “I’ve been a football fan for as long as I can remember, I was 11 years old when Scotland last qualified for the World Cup, a lot has changed about football since then and like a lot of people, I’ve become a little disillusioned with where the game is headed. I’m excited to be setting out on this mission; to see if the game still has a soul and that its beauty is not yet lost.”