Christopher Eccleston in Blackout

The BBC have released promotional pictures of Christopher Eccleston (who older readers may remember from Doctor Who in 2005) in a new BBC One drama, Blackout. The three part series airs from Monday, July 2 and features Eccleston as Daniel Demoys, a corrupt council official. Click on the pics for bigger versions and check out the synopsis below.

Daniel is a mess. He's drinking so much he's having blackouts. He has also been passing council contract details to businessman Henry Pulis. When a row between the pair gets out of hand, an alcohol-fuelled Daniel beats Pulis brutally, leaving him in a coma. Desperate for help, Daniel seeks out his sister Lucy, a lawyer.

Lucy is representing Nelson Venner, a young man speaking out against drug gangs. Lucy and Venner are giving a press statement when a car slows and a gun appears from the window. Daniel impulsively throws himself in front of Venner, taking the bullet.

When Daniel wakes in hospital, he is unaware his impulsive act is all over the news, and a nurse, Donna, explains he's being lauded as a hero. Daniel is lucky to have cheated death. It's a wake-up call. Maybe he has a chance to be a better man.

Elsewhere, Henry Pulis lies in intensive care. Daniel is wracked with guilt and desperate to pay for his sins. When political consultant Jerry Durrans visits Daniel to suggest he could be a viable candidate in the city's first mayoral election, Daniel is sceptical. Yet the seed of an idea has been planted and he has been set on the unlikely path to being elected his city's first political mayor. But Daniel remains a man with the blackest of secrets, desperate to make a stab at redemption.

Other cast members include: Dervla Kirwan (The Next Doctor), MyAnna Buring (The Impossible Planet) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock's Moriarty)

Blackout Ep1 airs Monday, 2 July on BBC One at 9pm

Thanks to BBC Pictures