After more than three years in development, an English language remake of Scandinavian science fiction series Real Humans is moving forward. Channel 4 and Xbox Entertainment Studios have partnered to co-produce Humans, an 8 episode series based on the original series.

Humans is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant that’s so similar to a real human it’s transforming the way we live. When a rushed-off-his-feet suburban father of three buys a refurbished second-hand Synth, he hopes it will relieve some domestic pressure and paper over the cracks of his marriage. But sharing their life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences, for this Synth is harbouring an extraordinary secret.

The drama series, based on the SVT series Real Humans, is being written by Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley. The English language series is being produced by Spooks producer Kudos Film & Television in association with Matador Films with Jane Featherstone, Derek Wax, Henrik Widman and Lars Lundström serving as executive producers. Humans will enter production in the UK this Summer and will air on Channel 4 in the UK and the Xbox Live platform in North America in 2015.

“In Humans, Sam and Jon have not only crafted an ingenious and imaginative thriller, but they’re also asking big, thought-provoking questions about how we live”, said Piers Wenger, Channel 4’s Head of Drama. “I’m thrilled to be working once again with the team at Kudos and to be partnering with Xbox to bring this extraordinary and epic series to the screen. This is the first co-production commission to benefit from Channel 4’s increased investment in drama and reaffirms our commitment to ambitious, highly original drama series.”

The deal between Channel 4, Xbox Entertainment Studios and Kudos comes only a week after C4 announced that they were targeting more international co-productions to boost their original drama output. Humans is the first series to be ordered since that shift in strategy, which saw the FTA broadcaster hire Simon Maxwell as Head of International Drama. The series order for Humans also comes as Xbox, under the direction of former WB and CBS exec Nancy Tellem, has struggled to get an original series off the ground, with Halo still in development more than a year after it was initially announced.