The streaming giant Netflix has announced Keira Knightley as the lead star in upcoming series Black Doves.

The twice Oscar-nomianted actress will play Helen, who is in the midst of a "passionate affair" as her secret identity is slowly unveiled.

Set over Christmas during rising diplomatic tensions, the tv show is set to feature action sequences.

Knightley is also an executive producer on the show, alongside This Is Going To Hurt's Jane Featherstone, Giri/Haji’s Chris Fry and creator-writer of the upcoming show, Joe Barton, perhaps best known for The Lazarus Project.

Keira Knightley is known for blockbuster film series Pirates Of The Caribbean, period drama Atonement and Christmas classic Love Actually. She previously earned Academy Award nods for her performance in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice where she took on the role of Elizabeth Bennet, and 2014’s The Imitation Game, where she starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.

Netflix is also set to adapt Danish Nordic noir novel series Department Q, based on the novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen, where it will be based in Edinburgh.

The series will be lead-directed by multi-award-winning Scott Frank, known for popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and superhero film Logan.

Frank said: "The fact that I have been a fan of Jussi’s novels for a dozen years now combined with my long standing obsession with old school British procedurals like Cracker and Prime Suspect made this one irresistible.”

"There are 10 novels in all,” Frank continued, “each one is a terrific mystery with great potential for a great season of television."

Netflix have also announced news of a follow-up to Bank Of Dave. The film originally starred Rory Kinnear who who played MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner in Quantum Of Solace in 2008 and last in 2021’s No Time To Die.

In Bank Of Dave, Kinnear played Minibus magnate Dave Fishwick, who was responsible for providing affordable loans through Burnley Savings and Loans.

The film’s sequel will see Fishwick return to take on payday lenders and risk his community bank and way of life.