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McMafia is set to be the next big BBC drama hitting our screens this winter, promising high octane action. The drama could become as big as The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston thanks to

its thriller element. There have even been suggestions that lead star James Norton could become the next James Bond. A co-production between the BBC and American network AMC, the show takes

place in a number of locations moving from London to Russia and beyond. It's based on the 2008 book of the same name by journalist Misha Glenny, who covers stories on organised crime

across the glove. The BBC miniseries follows Alex Godman, the British-born son of an exiled Russian mafia boss. Alex has been educated at a private school in England and runs his own finance

firm in City, by his own admission he’s been born with a “silver spoon in my mouth”. He has been desperately trying to leave his family’s shady past and mafia links behind him by sticking

to the straight and narrow with his girlfriend Rebecca Harper. However, his legitimate and crime-free life will be rocked when his family’s past comes back to haunt him in a terrifying way.

  A synopsis from the BBC reads: “What starts out as a story of survival and revenge becomes an epic tale of a man’s struggle against the lures of corruption in the modern world and in

himself.  “McMafia is impressive and intimate, glamorous and gritty, global in scale and forensic in detail.”  McMafia will be airing on New Year's Day (Monday, January 1) on BBC One at

9pm. Episode two of McMafia will then air the next day (Tuesday, January 2) on BBC One at 9pm.  Back in February the BBC announced that filming was underway in London before moving to

Croatia. McMafia has an international cast led by James Norton as Alex Godman. Fans will know the actor from Happy Valley, War & Peace and Grantchester. American actor David Strathairn

portrays Israeli businessman Semiyon Kleiman - his previous roles include Hollywood movies The Bourne Ultimatum, Good Night, Good Luck. Russian-Canadian star Aleksey Serebryakov plays

Alex's father, while Maria Shukshina takes on the role of his mother Oksana. Juliet Rylance is Alex's girlfriend, while Game of Thrones and Black Mirror actress Faye Marsay is

Alex’s sister Katya.  The show also stars David Dencik as Alex's uncle Boris Godman; Merab Ninidze as Vadim Kalyagin, a powerful member of the Russian Mafia; Oshri Cohen as Jospeh, an

Israeli Bodyguard; Karel Roden as Czech gangster Benes; Caio Blat as Mexican cartel member Antonio Méndez; and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Indian business partner Dilly Mahmood.  The first

McMafia trailer has been released by the BBC and gives viewers their first glimpse of the gritty, action-packed drama. In the short one-minute teaser, audiences are immersed straight into

Alex’s opulent world of luxury, before juxtaposing it with scenes of violence. “I’m very happy with my life the way it is,” Alex is heard saying in voiceover, however he is issued a chilling

warning: “Sooner or later they’ll come for you.” Alex is given a choice between the “hall of peace” and the “hall of war”, hinting that he’ll be forced to make a choice during the series. 

The show has similarities to The Godfather which sees Michael Corleone forced to make a similar decision between the mafia and a legitimate life. _MCMAFIA WILL AIR ON BBC ONE LATER THIS

YEAR._