Anthony Head

Warren Clarke, Anthony Head, Dean Lennox Kelly and Jenny Agutter star in Desperados, a new comedy drama series by William Ivory (A Thing Called Love, The Sins) from Company Pictures for BBC One.

Maurice Riley (Anthony Head) and Syd Woolsey (Warren Clarke) are old friends who return

from the good life on the Costa del Crime, where they have spent their ill-gotten gains, to a quiet Devon fishing village, where they plan to eke out their retirement fishing and availing themselves of the NHS.

However, the quiet life is not for them and, with money running short, they quickly find themselves drawn back into a life of crime, only to find that crime has moved on and they’ve got new things to learn.

Polly Hill, Commissioning Editor, BBC, says: "We are thrilled to have a new series from William Ivory on BBC One, which is both smart and very funny, and which has brought together a wonderful cast – Warren Clarke, Anthony Head and Dean Lennox Kelly will be terrific as The Invisibles."

Cast list includes:

Warren Clarke (Dalziel And Pascoe) as Syd. With four wives and three divorces under his belt, single life is hard for Syd;

Maurice (Anthony Head, Little Britain, Buffy) is his rock and that creates its own stresses for Maurice. But, in his defence, Syd also knows he’d lay down his life for his friend;

Dean Lennox Kelly (Shameless) plays Hedley, the 30-something-year-old son of the late Vernon Huthwaite, Syd and Maurice’s former partner in crime. When Hedley hears Syd and Maurice are planning to put down roots locally, he wants in on the action;

Jenny Agutter plays Barbara, married to Maurice. Barbara is aware of her husband’s penchant for cracking open the odd safe or two;

Maurice and Barbara’s daughter is Grace (Emily Head). Grace thinks her dad can do no wrong, and that’s because she has no idea how he’s made his money;

Paul Barber (Only Fools And Horses, The Full Monty) plays Young Nick who, together with Maurice, Syd and Vernon, pulled off some of the most notorious robberies in the country’s colourful history.

Desperados creator William Ivory says: "It’s a dream of a cast. And what’s especially brilliant is the breadth of the talent on board.

"Desperados is an ensemble piece which means every character relies on the one next to them to give full value in terms of what the script is trying to achieve.

"And that means, in an ideal world, you’re looking to fill every role with a heavy hitter – but in truth you seldom achieve that. This time, I think we have... "

Produced by Company Pictures (Elizabeth I, Shot Through The Heart, Shameless) for BBC One, the director is Will Sinclair, producer is Richard Burrell (Robin Hood, Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story), and executive producers are George Faber and Charlie Pattinson (Company Pictures).

Desperados will be filmed in Ireland with the support of Northern Ireland Screen.

George Faber adds: "William Ivory began his illustrious writing career on Minder, and has long wanted to create his own show set in a world of crime, with larger than life characters, for whom robbery is an addictive pastime.

"This action-packed comedy drama delivers top stars in a warm, funny show that also takes a wry look at the late 50- something generation who still feel they have much to offer the world!"

Desperados is commissioned for BBC One by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller, Fiction.