Danny Dyer, David Morrissey and Motaz Malhees to lead new Channel 4 drama The Siege

It promises to bring audiences the definitive account of a pivotal moment in history.

Channel 4 has announced brand new drama The Siege, which has been adapted from Ben Macintyre’s book by Slow Horses creator, Will Smith.

It’ll star Danny Dyer, David Morrissey and Motaz Malhees and promises to be a heart-in-mouth story involving an extraordinary cast of characters from different walks of life, thrown together by a seemingly insolvable conflict.

It follows what happened on 30th April 1980, when six armed Arab Iranian separatists burst into the Iranian embassy in London, taking hostage the 26 people inside, demanding autonomy for their people.

Over the next six days, the gunmen, the hostages and the police struggled with each other for control of the situation while the soldiers of the SAS mounted plans for a daring mission to break the siege that would be witnessed by the watching world.

Promising to couple thriller tension with poignancy, insight and humour, this six-part series hopes to bring audiences the definitive account of a pivotal moment in history, when Britain and the world held its breath.

Also joining the ensemble cast are Leo Bill, Kevin Doyle, Alex Jennings, Alexej Manvelov, Sara Shirpey, Omid Djalili, Nicola Stephenson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sean Pertwee, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Troughton, Iddo Goldberg, Armin Karima, Asim Chaudhry, Moe Bar-El, Kavé Niku, Nina Mahdavi, Catayoune Ahmadi, Lorne MacFadyen, Aneurin Barnard, Mark Bonnar and Gwilym Lee.

Speaking about The Siege, Channel 4's Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz, said "The Iranian embassy siege and the daring raid which ended it was an iconic moment that forged the ferocious reputation of the modern SAS."

"The show is a heart-stopping, emotional thriller that reveals the little-known motivations of the hapless hostage-takers and the very human reality of what went on inside the embassy as the world looked on and Britain's most lethal soldiers practiced their high stakes assault. It will change the way people understand the siege and reveal how close the famous SAS operation came to disaster."

"We're thrilled to be working with Will Smith, Ben Macintyre, Lewis Arnold, Patrick Spence and the remarkable cast. This major commission underlines Channel 4's commitment to dialling up exceptional drama in its slate of original British programming."

To which ARTE France's Deputy Head of Drama, Alexandre Piel, added "The Siege is our first co-production with UK, and we are truly honoured to be associated with Channel 4 on this fantastic project. Will Smith is a brilliant author; his adaptation of Ben Macintyre's novel masterfully blends a gripping thriller with the emotional depth of this tragic event.

He made it an intense, moving, and funny story all at once. It has been wonderful to stand at Patrick Spence’s side in his adventure."

"It’s a unique opportunity, the one that allows you to witness the unfolding of a historical moment turning into disaster in front of the whole world. And we are also more than happy that this project enables us to have worked for the first time with the esteemed Channel 4 team."

The Siege will be produced by AC Chapter One and co-produced with Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, and ARTE France.  It'll be produced by Richard Stokes, directed by Lewis Arnold. and executive produced by Will Smith, Patrick Spence and Kat Pugsley alongside Lewis Arnold and Ben Macintyre

The Siege will air on Channel 4