The BBC is to film a new adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, which deals with a terrorist bomb plot in Victorian London.

Holding On writer Tony Marchant is behind the three-part BBC1 adaption of Conrad’s novel, which follows a Soho shopkeeper who doubles as a secret agent for the Russian government.

The shopkeeper, Verloc, an agent provocateur and member of a largely ineffective anarchist group, is instructed by his Russian handler to bomb the Greenwich Observatory to provoke the British government into cracking down on anarchism.

Conrad’s 1907 novel has obvious parallels with the terrorist threat the UK has faced since the 11 September attacks on the US. It was previously adapted as a BBC miniseries in 1992, starring Peter Capaldi and David Suchet.

The Secret Agent adaptation forms part of more than 40 hours of new drama commissions unveiled by the BBC on Wednesday evening.

Other new shows include a drama from the writers of hit series The Missing and a series based on Len Deighton’s Nazi novel SS-GB from James Bond film writers Robert Wade and Neal Purvis.

Brothers Harry and Jack Williams, who wrote abduction drama The Missing, have created a new four-part series for BBC1 called One of Us, set in Scotland. It focuses on the fallout from a double murder and its impact on the two families involved, which aims to keep viewers guessing.

The Williams brothers said it “explores big themes and ideas through the lens of a very personal character-driven story”.

SS-GB is a five-part series for BBC that revolves around the premise that Germany won the Battle of Britain and the Nazis are occupying Britain. Robert Wade and Neal Purvis said: “Len Deighton’s SS-GB is a brilliant tale of espionage that dares to think the unthinkable, and we are very excited to be adapting it for television.”

Idris Elba will be back as John Luther in two special episodes. Photograph: BBC

Also on the cards is what the BBC called a “fast-paced and adrenalised cop show”, which the corporation said will air weekdays on BBC1 at 8pm. Cuffs is the first new drama series for this slot in over eight years and may draw comparisons with ITV’s The Bill, which was axed in 2010.

The BBC’s controller of drama commissioning, Ben Stephenson, and BBC1 controller, Charlotte Moore, have also ordered a six-part drama about autism called The A-Word, written by Peter Bowker; a series about the first black director of public prosecutions called Undercover; and the return of Idris Elba as Luther for two special episodes.

The show, which is about to be remade in the US, stars The Wire actor as the troubled police officer and starts filming in London in March.

Its writer, Neil Cross, said: “Ever since we said goodbye to John Luther on Southwark Bridge, there’s hardly been a minute when I didn’t wonder what happened next. So I decided to find out. We’re putting the band back together; Luther is coming back where he belongs. Back to the BBC. Back to London. And back to work.”

The BBC also confirmed The Dresser, a one-off drama directed by Sir Richard Eyre for BBC2 starring Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen, and the return of Top of the Lake for a second series; casting details were not announced but the BBC said the story will be set in Sydney, Australia.

For children, the BBC is making animated versions of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and Julia Donaldson’s book Stick Man.

The new commissions come on top of a number of forthcoming dramas, including Dahl’s Esio Trot and an adaptation of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy.

Stephenson said: “Only the BBC supports the range of writers and ideas that these new announcements demonstrate. This massive investment signals the future direction of BBC drama – once regarded as only the home of traditional period drama, I now believe we are the home of the best writers and the most ambitious modern drama.

“The point of the BBC is to deliver range and risk above and beyond other UK broadcasters, and I believe the success of our drama offering this year and the announcements we are making today pave the way for an exciting future.”

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@theguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”.

• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.



This article was amended on 21/11/2014 to correctly attribute Peter Bowker as the writer of The A Word, not Undercover