MUMBAI: UK pay TV service provider Sky is stepping up its commitment to original British drama with the announcement of a line up of brand new original drama, featuring stars including Dominic Cooper, Vanessa Redgrave, David Harewood and Kylie Minogue.

The slate - the biggest in Sky?s history - includes a drama based on the life of Ian Fleming, a season of films from acclaimed female screenwriters and the directorial debuts of actors Idris Elba, Matt Smith and Marc Warren.

Running across Sky?s portfolio of entertainment channels, the raft of new drama commissions, complemented by popular returning series, is part of Sky?s drive to bring more high-quality, exclusive programmes to customers. It is supported by Sky?s commitment to invest ?600 million a year in home-grown programming by 2014, an increase of 50 per cent over three years.

The new commissions include:

• ?Fleming? (Sky Atlantic), starring Hollywood actor Dominic Cooper in the lead role in a series based on the life of Bond creator Ian Fleming
• ?The Reckless Season? (Sky Living), a season of five original dramas from some of Britain?s most renowned and critically-acclaimed female screenwriters, including Sally Wainwright, Gwyneth Hughes and Annie Griffin.
• The return of ?Playhouse Presents? (Sky Arts) this year features the directorial debuts of Idris Elba, Matt Smith and Marc Warren, with Elba and Warren both also scripting their films. The season of dramas - which will be complemented by a further collection of one-off comedy films - has again attracted high-calibre casts including Kylie Minogue, Mat Horne, David Harewood, Anna Friel and Vanessa Redgrave.
• ?Mad Dogs The Finale? (Sky 1), a two-part conclusion to the Bafta-nominated drama starring Max Beesley, Philip Glenister, John Simm and Marc Warren.

In addition, a brand new medical drama from Jed Mercurio, under the working title ?Critical? is currently in development for Sky 1.

The slate was commissioned by Sky?s Head of Drama, Anne Mensah. She said, "At Sky we have a strong ambition to deliver modern, original dramas that are both entertaining and intelligent. We seek to bring our customers the most innovative and bold pieces produced by some of the brightest talent in drama programming today. Our broad range of entertainment channels has allowed us to commission this diverse and rich drama slate, providing customers with a wealth of choice and I?m thrilled to be able to unveil this fantastic line up. The most exciting thing is that this is just the part of the growing drama story at Sky."

Sky director entertainment channels Stuart Murphy said, "We?re absolutely delighted to be announcing such a strong group of dramas for our customers. These new commissions bring together world-class talent, both on and off screen, and are unique pieces of television that exemplify the scale of our ambition. I am excited and fully supportive of Anne Mensah?s vision as she drives forward a strategy that will deliver our customers the highest-quality programming."