Bafta-nominated and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning production company Two Brothers Pictures (Baptiste, The Missing, Fleabag), headed up by acclaimed writers Harry and Jack Williams, announce the casting of Jamie Dornan as the lead in new BBC One, Stan, HBO Max and ZDF drama series, The Tourist, a character-driven, mystery-packed, six-part thriller charting one man’s search for his identity.

Bafta-nominated Jamie Dornan (A Private War, The Fall, Wild Mountain Thyme) stars as a British man who finds himself in the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, being pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat-and-mouse chase unfolds and the man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.

Danielle Macdonald (Unbelievable, Dumplin’, Patti Cakes) will star as Helen Chambers, a fledgling Probationary Constable, and Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line Of Duty, Roadkill) is set to play Luci, a waitress who’s swept into The Man’s journey for answers. Hugo Weaving (The Lord Of The Rings, Patrick Melrose) plays Agent Lachlan Rogers, one of the most highly regarded detective inspectors in Australia, leading Major Crime for the state police.

Full of shocking, surprising, funny and brutal turns, The Tourist is set in a world populated by quirky, enigmatic characters and off-beat black comedy punctuates high-stakes action. At its heart however, is a story of self-discovery with a ticking timebomb underneath: as The Man starts to uncover the mystery of who he was, he’s also forced to ask who he is now - and fast. Will he unlock the secrets of his identify before those who are trying to kill him catch up with him?

Jamie Dornan says: “The Tourist are some of the most exciting scripts I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to go to Australia with such a talented group of people.”

Harry and Jack Williams, Writers and Managing Directors of Two Brothers Pictures, say: “We're hugely excited about this show. It's tonally breaking new ground for us, and having Jamie Dornan on board is the icing on the Australian cake. We're thrilled to be working with Chris Sweeney again as well as the BBC, HBO Max and Stan.”

Danielle Macdonald says: “Helen is a fascinating and intriguing character, I fell in love with her on page one. I ended up reading all the episodes in one sitting because I couldn’t put them down! I’m so excited to get to be a part of this incredible project and I can’t wait to start filming alongside the amazing cast and production team.”

Shalom Brune-Franklin says: "This story is unique and I'm excited to be a part of bringing it to life with this brilliant team. I'm looking forward to adding to the thrilling mystery of these scripts with the wonderfully intriguing character of Luci. It's very exciting to be working on such a great project in Australia - it's going to be a lot of fun."

Hugo Weaving says: “I’m very excited to be slipping into the skin of one of the fabulously idiosyncratic characters who people the desert landscape of The Tourist. The scripts are wonderful. Dark and shocking, surprising and hilarious and always very human. This is a tonally uniquely project and should be an unforgettable ride and shoot for us all.”

Heading into production in 2021, The Tourist is produced by Two Brothers Pictures and written by Jack and Harry Williams in association with Highview Productions, All3Media International and the South Australian Film Corporation. Commissioned last year by BBC One in association with Stan, the Australian co-commissioning partner, HBO MAX is also confirmed as the US broadcaster and ZDF as the German broadcaster.

Further casting will be announced in due course.

The Tourist is a Two Brothers Pictures (an all3media company) production for the BBC, in association with Highview Productions, All3Media International, the South Australian Film Corporation, HBO Max, Stan and ZDF. The 6x60 drama has been written by Bafta-nominated and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producers and screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams (Baptiste, The Missing, Lair), who alongside Christopher Aird (Baptiste, Liar, Clique) and Andrew Benson will serve as executive producers for Two Brothers Pictures and Tommy Bulfin (Normal People, Line Of Duty, Peaky Blinders) for the BBC.

Lisa Scott (A Sunburnt Christmas, The Hunting) will produce and Chris Sweeney (Liar, Back To Life) will executive produce and direct. It was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama and Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer. International sales will be handled by global partner All3Media International.