THE coveted BBC1 Sunday night drama slot could be about to go off the rails.
I can reveal the Beeb has commissioned a new suspense thriller set on a Glasgow to London high-speed sleeper train which is headed for disaster.
Nightsleeper has echoes of the opening of drama Bodyguard — where Richard Madden tries to rumble a terrorist onboard a commuter train — and big-screen classic Speed, starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.
And that is more than enough to whet the appetite of drama fans.
A show insider said: “There’s a lot of excitement around this series internally at the BBC, which is why it’s likely to be placed in the Sunday night slot.
“Bosses think they have another monster on their hands.
“It’s a brand new story that will more than live up to its previous inhabitants of the Sunday Night slot.
“There will be lots of twists and turns and viewers will be totally consumed by it.”
The six-parter is written by The Control Room’s Nick Leather and will be set in real-time.
The fate of the passengers on board the Heart Of Britain service will be in the hands of two people, who have never met, as the train hurtles towards what might be its final destination.
One will be onboard, while the other, from a government agency, will assist from a separate location in a bid to control the rapidly escalating events inside the train.
The cast have yet to be announced but expect some big names to be involved.
Nick said: “I couldn’t be more excited to drive the engine of this real-time thriller and take our audience along for a ride full of personal intrigue, political man-oeuvring and danger.
“By the time dawn breaks at the end of this journey, no one will ever be the same again”.
In recent years, hits including Bodyguard, Line Of Duty and Happy Valley have provided even more of a reason to stay in on a Sunday night.
The BBC has invested heavily in dramas that boost ratings and can be sold abroad. Nightsleeper will be filmed in Glasgow next year.
MOTHERLAND star Paul Ready has teased what’s in store for his hapless character Kevin, in the show’s Christmas special.
Paul said: “Kevin’s living in a hotel. He’s trying to sort through his divorce and he’s looking forward to having a Christmas eating turkey crisps from the vending machine.
“But luckily Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) invites him for Christmas dinner.”
Liz, played by Diane Morgan, joins them too.
Diane told the Radio Times: “It’s all sort of gone badly with Liz’s life, so she ends up at Julia’s as well – with hilarious consequences.”
The comedy has been a huge hit on BBC2 over three series. The festive special airs on BBC1 on December 23.
ON-SCREEN besties Lily Collins and Ashley Park showed they are great pals off-screen too at the launch of the new series of Emily In Paris.
The pair – Emily and Mindy in the show – were joined by Lucien Laviscount who plays Alfie, at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in the French capital on Tuesday.
Lily – daughter of music icon Phil Collins – recently teased what to expect from series three, out on December 21.
She said: “More love triangles, more drama, more laughs, more fashion, more locations, more France,” and “a lot of cliffhangers”.
Series two saw Emily fall for Alfie, after her split from Gabriel (Lucas Bravo).
It was one of Netflix’s most successful ever shows, topping the most-watched lists in 94 countries.
There’s a good chance season three will be even bigger.
BAKE Off judge Paul Hollywood has revealed a Mensa test when he left school showed he was in the top two per cent of the population.
Paul says: “I saw this thing in the newspaper. There were 40 questions and it said ‘if you can do them in less than 40 minutes, send off for this test.’ I get this letter back saying, ‘would you like to take a test? Your percentage is high.
“So I had to go and do this timed thing. And then I was in the top two per cent.”
Paul added, on the Table Manners podcast: That’s weird.
“In school I ended up with one O level. Which was art. And that was it!”
It takes brains to avoid a soggy bottom.
I’M A Celebrity fans missing Jill Scott’s one-liners are in luck.
The Queen of the Jungle will soon be back on our screens starring in Robson Green’s new series.
Robson will be exploring his native North-East with big names that have a connection to the region, including Sunderland’s finest Jill, former Newcastle United striker Les Ferdinand and Middlesbrough-born TV host Steph McGovern.
The former Soldier Soldier star said: “The North-East holds a special place in my heart and I’m excited to showcase the best it has to offer.
“We are strongly committed to supporting the incredible local talent, and creating this programme gave us the opportunity to do both.”
Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes kicks off on January 23 on BBC2 and will also be shown on iPlayer.
He’d better wrap up warm.
