Channel 4 has announced it has acquired the UK premiere broadcast rights to World Without End, the eight-hour mini=series set in the fictitious English town of Kingsbridge, and based on author Ken Follett’s worldwide bestseller and sequel to The Pillars of the Earth.

The series stars Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line) and Peter Firth (Spooks).

World Without End is a rousing epic tale of a feisty young woman, Caris, who inspires her medieval town of Kingsbridge to confront the most powerful forces of her time, namely the Church and Crown, as they must fight to save their town from ruin and, ultimately usher in a new era of freedom, innovation and enlightenment.

The series is produced by Tandem Communications and Take 5 Productions in co-production with Galafilm in association with Ridley Scott and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Films, is directed by Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy, Shooting Dogs).

World Without End completed filming in Budapest in December and will air on Channel 4 later this year.