James Norton to star in new BBC crime drama McMafia

James Norton will lead the cast of a brand new BBC crime drama, titled McMafia.

Norton will play the son of Russian mafia exiles in a new drama based on journalist Misha Glenny’s non-fiction book on organised crime.

It is the second time Norton has starred in a Russian-related drama in the past few months, after playing Russian Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of the classic War & Peace. Norton is also known for playing crime-solving vicar Sidney Chambers in ITV’s Grantchester and sadistic villain Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley. He has been hotly tipped to take over from Daniel Craig as James Bond in past months, although this announcement may throw his chances idea into doubt.

McMafia will see Norton play Alex Godman, the English-raised son of Russian mafia exiles, a man attempting to walk the straight and narrow despite his troubled heritage.

Nevertheless, Alex will become embroiled into the world of international organised crime, corrupt politicians and merciless intelligence agencies. His thrilling journey will take him all over the world, dealing with all from Russian Mafia members to Mexican drug cartels to Balkan smugglers.

A BBC statement said: “This fast-paced thriller is epic and intimate, glamorous and gritty, global in scale and forensic in detail.

“It delves into how, with the rise of globalisation, the corporate has become criminal and the criminal corporate and how, driven by the global demand for cheap products, everyone is complicit in some way.”

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, said: “James Norton is at the top of his game and I know he will do justice to the riveting McMafia created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins.”