Stephen Tompkinson to star in new ITV crime drama

Stephen Tompkinson will play a detective in a major new crime thriller for ITV, it has been announced.

The Wild at Heart star will play the title role in the two-part drama DCI Banks: Aftermath, based on Peter Robinson's best-selling detective novel.

Produced by Left Bank Pictures, the company behind the hit BBC drama Wallander, DCI Banks: Aftermath explores the events that follow after two police constables stumble upon an horrific scene at a house.

Their discovery reveals the identity of a serial killer, kick-starting an investigation that tests DCI Alan Banks to the limit.

"DCI Banks: Aftermath is a classy, contemporary thriller and we're delighted to have commissioned a two-part pilot from Left Bank Pictures," said ITV's Sally Haynes. "Banks is brooding and melancholic with more than his fair share of baggage. Stephen is a really versatile actor and it’s great to see him in a darker role."

The drama will go into production in Yorkshire at the end of April 2010.

Further casting details will be announced shortly.