'The Serpent' is launching on BBC One on New Year's Day (01.01.21).
Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman in The Serpent
The upcoming eight part crime drama - which is inspired by real events - stars Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman as murderer Charles Sobhraj and his girlfriend Marie-Andree Leclerc as they travelled across Thailand, Nepal and India in 1975 and 1976, carrying out a spree of crimes on the Asian ‘Hippie Trail’.
The conman - who was posing as a gem dealer - and his girlfriend became the chief suspects in a series of murders of young Western travellers.
As Sobhraj repeatedly escapes from the grasp of authorities around the world, Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) - a junior diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok - unwittingly walks into his intricate web of crime.
Knippenberg kicks off a chain of events which see Sobhraj become Interpol’s most wanted man, with arrest warrants in multiple continents.
Ellie Bamber has been cast as Angela Knippenberg, while other actors attached to the series include Amesh Edireweera, Mathilde Warnier, Grégoire Isvarine and Tim McInnerny.
Discussing her casting in 'The Serpent', former 'Doctor Who' star Jenna said: "'The Serpent' intoxicated me into the dark seductive world of Charles Sobhraj.
"I'm so looking forward to delving into 'Hippie Trail' depths and bringing to life this unfathomable real life story alongside Tahar, Billy, Ellie, Tom, Richard and the wonderful cast and production team for the BBC and Netflix."
The series - which is a co-production between BBC One and Netflix - is made by Mammoth Screen, part of ITV studios, and written by Richard Warlow and Toby Finlay.
Tom Shankland and Hans Herbots have directed the upcoming episodes.
'The Serpent' will air on BBC One in the UK and on Netflix outside of the UK and Ireland.
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