By Natasha Preskey

Published: Wednesday, 13 October 2021 at 12:00 am

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Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office, is set to make a welcome return to our screens with a new six-part comedy drama, The Outlaws – and Claes Bang has now also joined the show as a terrifying London crime boss.

The BBC series sees Oscar winner Christopher Walken take on his first lead role in a British television show. Walken, star of Pulp Fiction, Hairspray and The Dogs of War, plays one of seven offenders performing community service in Bristol.

Here’s everything you need to know about the show.

The Outlaws release date

Confirmed: The Outlaws will air on 25th October at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The series was filmed in Bristol (Merchant’s hometown), and is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon Studios, meaning it will air on BBC One in the UK and be released on Amazon Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Outlaws cast

Christopher Walken and Stephen Merchant star as offenders Frank (a scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family) and Greg (a lonely lawyer going through a divorce).

They are joined in the cast by Dracula actor Claes Bang, who plays The Dean, “a mysterious and terrifying London gang boss the Offenders are unlucky enough to find themselves in debt to”.

The cast also includes Poldark‘s Eleanor Tomlinson, Darren Boyd (Killing Eve, Lucky Man), Gamba Cole (Hanna), Rhianne Barreto (who also starred in Hanna), Dolly Wells, Richard E Grant, Julia Davis and EastEnders star Clare Perkins.

A fair question to ask would be how someone like Christopher Walken ended up starring in a comedy-drama about community service in Bristol. “Chris Walken does not have a mobile phone or a computer so it’s quite hard to get in touch with him,” Merchant explained to the PA agency.

“So I think we dusted off an old fax machine at the BBC and we managed to fax him the script – I’m not even joking – and he read the script and he liked it. And he called, would I come to Connecticut, where he lives in America? So I flew all the way to Connecticut and I sat with him and he had a lot of questions, and I was sat with him for about four hours and he made me an omelette.

It was very nice and we talked about the show, and he said to me ‘what’s Bristol like?’ and I said it was a bit like San Francisco. Because it’s exactly the same, with the bridge and the hilly-ness and everything. And he said ‘yes, I’m up for it’. And so he came over.”

And we are very glad he agreed!

What is The Outlaws about?

The series follows seven people performing community service. Initially it may seem that the group is made up of easy-to-pigeonhole archetypes, but we soon see their hidden depths. We’re told: “The show is part crime thriller, character study, and a state-of-the-nation commentary – with humour and heart.”

The offenders, who are all from different walks of life, form unlikely friendships and we gradually see their private lives intersect. The group is then forced to unite in order to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang.

Was The Outlaws delayed by COVID-19?

Filming was interrupted in 2020 by the pandemic. However, it later resumed in December, with strict COVID-19 restrictions in place. These included a commitment to using local crew and supporting artists, where possible.

We’re back! It’s been a long (LONG!!) time coming, but we’re finally back!! #TheOffenders ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8RbMxpSGDS

— Nickie Sault (@NickieSault) November 30, 2020