Acclaimed TV actor Martin Clunes takes the lead in ITV's latest gripping crime drama Out There, which shines a light on the issue of rural drug dealing.

In the series, Martin Clunes plays the role of Nathan Williams, a Welsh farmer whose family has worked the land for generations, struggling to cope with the loss of his wife Sabine and finding himself stuck in a relentless cycle of work and grief.

As he tries to support his teenage son Johnny (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) and reconnects with his friend Rhys, a local drug dealer portrayed by Gerran Howell, Nathan must navigate the challenges of protecting his farm and community from the threat of County Lines drug operations.

ITV has announced that the series will premiere on ITV1, with the complete box set available to stream on ITVX. Here's all the information you need to know about Martin Clunes' new crime drama, including the broadcast date, cast, and future plans.

According to ITV's official plot synopsis: "County lines drug dealing and its escalating, insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside is the subject of new six-part ITV and ITVX drama, Out There, starring Martin Clunes, as a farmer confronted with dark forces creeping into his rural community.

"The drama depicts the surreptitious invasion of the land our farmer cherishes, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers: urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas.

"Martin Clunes plays Nathan Williams, a man who runs a farm which has been in his family for generations, caught in a numbing rhythm of work and grief following the death of his wife, Sabine, two years previously.

"A single parent to teenager Johnny, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Nathan is uniquely placed and possesses enough pent-up energy to take on the gangs that threaten to engulf his son.

"Consequently, he embarks on a personal journey that will take him ever further out of his comfort zone into a dark alternative world as he fights to protect his family, his homestead and his legacy. He's missed all the clues that the country idyll around him has been fatally compromised, contaminated by waves of criminality spreading and mutating virus-like from the city.

"Now Nathan must accept that the rustic atmosphere of his childhood is long gone, replaced by something altogether more perilous. And the only way for Nathan to survive in this brave new world is to learn the rules and fight back.

Penned by acclaimed screenwriter Ed Whitmore, known for his work on Steeltown Murders, Grace, Manhunt, Silent Witness, and Safe House, and directed by Marc Evans of Steeltown Murders, Manhunt, The Pembrokeshire Murders, and Grav fame, the series is produced by Buffalo Pictures.

The first episode of Out There is slated to air on ITV1 at 9pm on Sunday, January 19, with the subsequent episode scheduled for 9pm on Monday, January 20. The remaining episodes will continue to occupy the same time slot on ITV1.

The complete series, comprising six episodes, will also be accessible on ITVX from Sunday, January 19. Each episode runs for approximately 60 minutes.

TV veteran Martin Clunes headlines the cast of Out There in the role of farmer Nathan, a man determined to shield his farm and the wider community from drug dealers. The 63-year-old actor boasts an illustrious career, having played roles in Doc Martin, Men Behaving Badly, Reggie Perrin, and his travel series for ITV.

Louis Ashbourne Serkis, son of actor and director Andy Serkis, portrays Nathan's son Johnny, who finds himself embroiled in the drug operation. Louis's previous credits include The Queen's Gambit, Taboo, Endeavour, and The Kid Who Would Be King.

Joining them are Mark Lewis Jones as Caleb Williams, Natalia Kostrzewa as Eva, Carly-Sophia Davies as Sadie, Gerran Howell as Rhys, and Michael Obiora as Scott Foley.