Sean Bean is dicing with death (again) in the trailer for brand new murder mystery series, Shardlake.

Based on the internationally popular Tudor murder mystery novels by C.J. Sansom, Shardlake tells the story of Matthew Shardlake (played by Arthur Hughes), a lawyer with an acute sense of justice and one of the few honest men in a world beset with scheming and plots.

According to the synopsis, Shardlake works for Thomas Cromwell, played by Sean Bean, the dangerous and all-powerful right-hand man to Henry VIII.

Despite Shardlake’s unwavering loyalty to Cromwell and the Crown, his position in society is unfavoured due to his appearance, as a person living with scoliosis during the Tudor period, suffering the indignity of being abused as a “crookback” wherever he turns.

Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air) plays the cocky and good-looking Jack Barak, who leaves Shardlake unsure of whether he is an assistant, or Cromwell’s spy.

Drenched in mystery, suspense and deception, this four-part drama, based on the first novel in Sansom’s series, is an eerie whodunnit adventure, set in 16th century England during the dissolution of the monasteries.

Shardlake’s sheltered life as a lawyer is turned upside down when Cromwell instructs him to investigate the murder of one of his commissioners at a monastery in the remote town of Scarnsea.

The commissioner was gathering evidence to close the monastery and it is now imperative for Cromwell’s own political survival that Shardlake both solves the murder and closes the monastery.

Joining the cast is Babou Ceesay as Abbot Fabian, Paul Kaye as Brother Jerome, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Alice, Peter Firth as Norfolk, Matthew Steer as Goodhap, Brian Vernel as Brother Mortimus, Irfan Shamji as Brother Guy, David Pearse as Brother Edwig, Miles Barrow as Brother Gabriel, Mike Noble as Bugge and Kimberley Nixon as Joan.

Shardlake is yet to be given a release date by Disney+.