The Crown's Lesley Manville in Magpie Murders first-look trailer

The first trailer has been released for BritBox's unique new crime drama Magpie Murders, starring The Crown's Lesley Manville.

The series has been adapted from the 2016 book by Anthony Horowitz, which was described as "an ingenious novel within a novel".

The show is a murder mystery within a murder mystery, which takes place in two time periods, both the 1950s and contemporary Britain, and sees the cast portraying multiple characters in different literary dimensions.

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lesley manville as susan ryeland, tim mcmullan as atticus pund, magpie murders

Britbox/Eleventh Hour Films

Manville stars as Susan Ryeland, the editor for infamous bestselling mystery writer Alan Conway (played by Conleth Hill).

When Susan receives an unfinished Conway manuscript, featuring his hugely popular detective Atticus Pünd (McMullin) without any sign of the author himself, she is set on a path with little idea that it will change her life forever.

The six-part series also stars Tim McMullan, Daniel Mays, Pippa Haywood and Michael Maloney, and is directed by Peter Cattaneo.

lesley manville as susan ryeland, magpie murders

Britbox/Eleventh Hour Films

All episodes will stream exclusively on BritBox UK from February 10, 2021.

Horowitz previously said of the series: "Magpie Murders is my most successful novel and it wasn't easy to adapt. But I think the result is a completely original drama that will delight and beguile audiences in equal measure."

Britbox is also currently working on an adaptation of A Spy Among Friends, based on the bestselling Ben Macintyre espionage thriller, starring Mare of Easttown's Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis.

It's set to debut on the streaming service towards the end of 2022. In the US, it will air on Spectrum.

The Crown season 5 will premiere in November 2022, while seasons 1-4 are now streaming on Netflix. Seasons 1-3 are also available on DVD and Blu-ray.