When is ‘The Long Song’ on BBC One?

The BBC has confirmed when new period drama The Long Song will air in the UK.

Based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel, the three-part mini-series is set during the dying days of slavery on the British-ruled Caribbean island of Jamaica in 1838.

Episode 1 will air at 9pm on Tuesday 18th December on BBC One.

Episode 2 will air at 9pm on Wednesday 19th December on BBC One.

Episode 3 will air at 9pm on Thursday 20th December on BBC One.

Watch the trailer:

The Long Song stars Tamara Lawrance (Kings Charles III, Undercover) as young slave July and Hayley Atwell (Howards End, Agent Carter) as her odious mistress Caroline Mortimer.

The cast also includes Jack Lowden (War & Peace), Sir Lenny Henry (Broadchurch) and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (The Boy With The Topknot).

The official synopsis for the first episode reads: “July is born to a field slave Kitty (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) at the Amity sugar cane plantation, run by John Howarth (Leo Bill) and his younger sister Caroline. On a spoilt whim, Caroline decides she wants to train the adorable July as her personal maid.

“So, as a young girl, July is taken from her mother and forced to live in the great house. As July grows up and becomes a teenager, she learns how to ‘handle’ her mistress with her own small victories along the way.

“The Christmas riots and the abolition of slavery turn the world of Amity upside down and throw July’s destiny into question.

“But when order is restored and a new overseer Robert Goodwin (Jack Lowden) arrives at Amity, July and Caroline are both intrigued by his seemingly revolutionary plans to improve the plantation. Could his ideals change everything?”

Andrea Levy’s original novel is available on Amazon.