Matt in Moses Jones

Matt Smith stars as DS Dan Twentyman in a new drama series, Moses Jones, starting Monday on BBC2.

The series is writer Joe Penhall's first original series for television, following his award-winning adaptation of Jake Arnott's novel The Long Firm and stars Shaun Parkes, who played Zachary Cross Flan in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, in his first leading role for television. The series also features Eamonn Walker, Dennis Waterman, Indira Varma and Jude Akuwudike, and introduces newcomers Wunmi Mosaku and Obi Abili.

The story, told over three one-hour episodes, begins when a wave of violence hits London following the discovery of the bizarrely mutilated body of a man in the Thames. First appearances suggest a witchcraft killing, but the dark reality is more complicated – and even more frightening.

Assigned to the case are young hopeful DS Dan Twentyman played by Smith in his first television role since being revealed as the eleventh Doctor, and his senior partner, DI Moses Jones, seconded from Scotland Yard due to his supposed cultural links with the local African community. Confronted with a wall of silence, Jones and Twentyman become increasingly frustrated, but all roads lead to Joy, her friend Solomon and the Afrigo Club, where the ex-pat community goes to unwind to the irresistible music of Solomon's band.

As the search deepens, the violence escalates and the investigation grinds to a halt. But one name crops up again and again – Mathias Mutukula, a mysterious godfather figure rumoured to have both terror links and supernatural powers. Forced to ask himself tough questions about his cultural identity, Moses embarks on a frightening quest to track down his man and redeem himself before the community implodes, or takes revenge itself.

Moses Jones is on BBC2 at 9pm starting Monday 2nd February and will be available on the BBC iPlayer.