Image caption Kat and Alfie have had a lot of ups and downs in their relationship

An all-Irish cast will star in EastEnders spin-off Redwater, featuring characters Kat and Alfie Moon.

Downton Abbey's Maria Doyle Kennedy and Ian McElhinney from Game of Thrones are among those who will appear.

Lost's Fionnula Flanagan, Shameless's Angeline Ball and Brooklyn's Peter Campion will also star.

The series sees Kat and Alfie arrive in Redwater, a fictional Irish harbour village, in search of Kat's long-lost son. It will air on BBC One in 2017.

The six-parter's ensemble cast also includes Oisin Stack, Stephen Hogan, Susan Ateh, Ian Toner and Ebony O'Toole-Acheampong.

'Cinematic style'

Wallace, who hails from London and plays Kat in the BBC soap, said: "I walked into the drama read-through to a table full of wonderful Irish actors and it was thrilling.

"They all made me feel so very welcome as we started to read the first script. It's going to be a rollercoaster."

Image caption Ian McElhinney has also starred in programmes such as ITV's Ripper Street

Award-winning Danish director Jesper Nielsen, also behind Borgen, is at the helm of Redwater.

He said: "We have a really important and fantastic story to tell. About how one woman's search for a lost child opens Pandora's box; revealing the terrible lies and secrets in the little village of Redwater.

"A story about how the strong bonds of love in a family can hold everything together, and yet at the same time - destroy everything. It has echoes of a Shakespearean drama, told in a rich cinematic style, loaded with humour and suspense. I cannot wait to start shooting and see the characters coming to life."

Filming of the six-part series begins next week.