Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan (Once Upon a Time, Shadows in the Sun) will star alongside Gillian Anderson in Allan Cubitt’s new BBC Two drama series The Fall, a gripping psychological thriller that forensically examines the lives of two hunters.

Dornan plays serial killer Paul Sector, who stalks his victims in and around Belfast. Anderson is talented Detective Superintendent Gibson on secondment from the Met, brought in to catch him.

Produced by Artists Studio and written by Allan Cubitt (The Runaway, Murphy’s Law, Prime Suspect), the five episodes will follow the police investigation uncovering the intricate story of the lives entangled by a series of murders – both the killers’ and the victims’ families.

Allan Cubitt says: “When I think of the great television drama from my formative years I think first and foremost of their writers. I applaud wholeheartedly Artists Studio’s attempt, with the support of the BBC, to put the writer back at the heart – and head – of British TV drama.”

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning says: “The Fall is a unique, forensic and characterful take on a classic genre that continues BBC Two’s commitment to original British drama in 2012. Cubitt’s rich and complex psychological thriller combined with another compelling performance from Gillian Anderson will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.”

Filming for The Fall has started in Belfast.