Image copyright Showtime/AP Image caption Claire Danes' performances have earned her three Golden Globes and two Emmy Awards

TV terror thriller Homeland is to continue for at least three more seasons, it has been announced.

The sixth series will air in January 2017 and will be set in the US after a presidential election.

Seasons seven and eight have also been confirmed, with actress Claire Danes and showrunner Alex Gansa both on board, Deadline reported.

Danes plays a counter-intelligence expert officer in the Showtime drama, which airs on Channel 4 in the UK.

Homeland has won eight Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes since it began in 2011.

Showtime's programming president Gary Levine said: "Homeland was deserving of a multi-year pickup, and that's what Howard [Gordon, executive producer] has achieved with his enthusiasm."

Image copyright AP Image caption Danes and co-star Mandy Patinkin took part in the Showtime Television Critics Association summer press tour on Thursday

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