“As gripping as it gets”: Legends is Netflix's “jaw-dropping” crime drama that we’ve been longing for

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a real-life spy (haven’t we all?), may we introduce you to the crime drama we’ve been longing for – Netflix’s Legends. The jaw-dropping series is inspired by the real-life story of a group of everyday British Customs officers who were given a top-secret mission – and it’s about as gripping as it gets.

Starring Steve Coogan, Victoria's Tom Hughes and You's Charlotte Ritchie, we'll see their dangerous mission play out as they take on new identities in order to infiltrate some of Britain’s most dangerous drug gangs. From the creator of BBC One's The Gold, we've got a feeling it's going to be extremely binge-worthy viewing indeed.

Ahead of Legends’ arrival on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about your new favourite crime drama, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Legends about?

The six-part series is inspired by a remarkable real-life investigation that happened in the early 90s and is based on extensive research and interviews with those involved. The drama will follow a group of ordinary British Customs officers who are given a top-secret mission: to infiltrate the country’s most notorious criminal drug gangs, and help take them down from the inside.

According to the official synopsis, "In the early ’90s, Majesty’s Customs and Excise was losing its battle with illegal drug smuggling across Britain’s borders. The solution was extraordinary. In a top-secret operation, a small team of Customs employees were sent undercover. Their task — to infiltrate Britain’s most dangerous drug gangs.

"But these were not trained spies. They were normal men and women, plucked from ordinary lives around the UK, put through a basic training regime, and tasked with building new identities in the criminal underworld. These identities were called legends."

Creator and writer Neil Forsyth has given a taste of what's in store. "I'm very excited to be able to tell this incredible story, along with everyone at Tannadice Pictures," he says. "I think Legends is a fascinating, gripping, unknown British story that deserves to be told in full. I'm delighted that Netflix agreed."

Mona Qureshi, director of UK content at Netflix, added: "As such fans of Neil’s The Gold, we were immediately excited by the prospect of the extraordinary story of Legends in his hands. Transporting us back to 1990s Britain, where the government was losing its battle in what was a global war on drugs, Neil’s scripts introduce us to a compelling ensemble of characters, whose unexpected journeys into the dangerous labyrinth of undercover operations promise a gripping, action-filled series that sits in the best tradition of U.K. crime stories."

Who's in the cast of Legends?

The cast of Legends includes:

• Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Souvenir)
• Steve Coogan (Philomena, The Reckoning)
• Charlotte Ritchie (You, Ghosts)
• Hayley Squires (Beau Is Afraid, I, Daniel Blake)
• Aml Ameen (A Man in Full)
• Jasmine Blackborow (The Gentlemen, Marie Antoinette)
• Douglas Hodge (Joker)
• Tom Hughes (Victoria)
• Johnny Harris (Great Expectations)
• Gerald Kyd (The Assassin)

How can I watch Legends?

Netflix hasn't yet shared an official release date for Legends, but we're expecting it to be released at some point in 2025. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll share it here.