David Tennant to star in ITV1 drama Broadchurch

Tennant recently lent his voice to British animation The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

Actor David Tennant will play a detective in new drama Broadchurch, about the death of a young boy in a seaside town, ITV1 has announced.

The eight-part series has been penned by Doctor Who and Torchwood writer Chris Chibnall.

Tennant leads an ensemble cast featuring Rev star Olivia Colman and Will Mellor.

Arthur Darvill, who plays current Doctor Who Matt Smith's sidekick Rory, will appear as the town priest.

Best known for his own stint as the Doctor, Tennant will star as out-of-town Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, who is set to clash with a local officer played by Colman.

The actress found fame as Sophie in Channel 4 comedy Peep Show, before going on to star in BBC comedy Rev, Twenty Twelve and films including The Iron Lady and Tyrannosaur.

Vicky McClure, who played Lol in This is England and recently starred with Tennant in BBC1's mainly improvised drama True Love, also features.

Writer Chibnalll called it a story of "scale and intimacy" in which the characters' lives are "laid bare".

"Broadchurch focuses on a small British community which finds itself at the eye of a storm," said writer Chibnall.

"In the wake of one boy's death, the residents come under scrutiny and suspicion."

Also joining the cast is actress Jodie Whittaker, who starred in British alien comedy Attack the Block.

The show will be filmed on location in Dorset and Portishead near Bristol later this year.

Tennant is also set to feature in a forthcoming BBC Four drama, The Spies Of Warsaw, based on the best-selling novel by Alan Furst.