Across six parts, This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music. The genre grew out of Coventry and Brimingham in the late 1970s and early 1980s, uniting the young people of the black, white and Asian communities.

The BBC has announced that Michelle Dockery of Downtown Abbey fame will star, alongside Nicholas Pinnock (Life) and David Dawson (The Last Kingdom).

Joining them are Levi Brown (Loss and Return), Jordan Bolger (The Woman King), Ben Rose (Line of Duty) and Eve Austin (You) as the four young leads.

Geraldine James, Peter McDonald, Freya Parks, Shyvonne Ahmmad, John Heffernan, Stefan Asante-Boateng, Séainín Brennan, George Somner and Brendan Gibson will also feature.

Both an explosive thriller and family drama, This Town starts in Birmingham in 1981, a time of serious social unrest. Against this backdrop, a group of young people are fighting to find their own paths in life, and it's music that presents them with the second chance they desperately need.

Steven Knight, writer, creator and executive producer, said: “This is a project very close to my heart. It’s about an era I lived through and know well and it involves characters who I feel I grew up with.

"It’s a love letter to Birmingham and Coventry but I hope people from all over the world will relate to it.”

As music will play such an important part in the series, Mercury Studios (part of the Universal Music Group) have called on several high profile musicians to write the songs for the fictional band to perform. This includes acclaimed producer Dan Carey, and Brit Award and Mercury Prize-nominated musician, novelist and poet Kae Tempest.

Alice Webb, Mercury Studios CEO and Co-President, said: “Ska music has such a huge impact on music and culture – in the 80’s and through to modern day – which is why the legendary Steven Knight, Kudos, BBC and Mercury Studios are the perfect combination to bring this vivid world to life.

"Expect fierce new music as well as serious homage to classics of the time. It’s going to be unstoppable.”

Filming for This Town has begun on location in Birmingham and at Steven Knight's new Digbeth Loc. Film and TV Studios.