A new BBC drama based on the launch of a news programme in the 1950s begins filming today, with transmission set for next year.

The Hour, which will be shown on BBC Two, will be a six-part series which “takes viewers behind the scenes of the launch of a topical news programme in London 1956”, according to a press release. It is written and created by Abi Morgan.

The casting announced today is as follows:

• Ben Whishaw plays Freddie Lyon, a brilliant and outspoken journalist, whose passion endlessly lands him in trouble. Getting to the truth of a story can be a dangerous and risky business, and it’s Bel, his contemporary and best friend who is always there to bail him out.
• Romola Garai plays Bel Rowley, spirited and ambitious, and facing the most exciting and daunting challenge of her life – running The Hour.
• Dominic West plays Hector Madden, charming, charismatic – a man whose upbringing and education have instilled in him a sense of entitlement, and whose glamorous young wife has the family connections to get him the job as front man on The Hour. But beneath the confident façade Hector has a lot to prove.

Filming starts today in and around the London area for three months.