Ex-Death in Paradise star Ben Miller has new comedy heading to BBC

Former Death in Paradise leading man Ben Miller is starring alongside Sally Phillips in Austin , a new comedy heading to the BBC.

The eight-part series, which he co-created, sees Miller play much-loved children's author Julian Hartswood, whose life threatens to be destroyed by a social media storm. Not only could his career be over but so could his marriage to his illustrator wife Ingrid (Sally Phillips).

However, when Austin (Michael Theo, making his acting debut), the neurodivergent son that Julian never knew he had, turns up out of the blue his life begins to change.

The makers tease: "Could embracing this modern nuclear family be Julian's route back from cancellation? Will Ingrid ever forgive him? One thing is for certain: if Julian thinks Austin is going to be a pushover, he's in for a rude awakening".

Speaking about landing the Australia comedy series for the broadcaster, Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition says: "Irresistibly charming, humorous and heart-warming, BBC viewers are sure to find Austin a sheer delight from start to finish".

Ben Miller co-created the eight-part series with Darren Ashton (Spreadsheet). The cast also includes Gia Carides (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Big Little Lies) and Roy Billing (Jack Irish, Underbelly) .

The hugely popular star, better known to millions of Death in Paradise fans as DI Richard Poole, can also be seen soon alongside Annie-Marie Duff in C4's Suspect season 2 . Ben plays Detective Superintendent Richard Groves in the thriller, released on Channel 4 on Wednesday, July 17 at 9 pm (see our TV Guide for full listings). The series also stars Dominic Cooper as Jon, Tamsin Greig as Natasha Groves and Gina McKee as Kate.

We don't yet have a release date for Austin . It's interesting that Ben is playing a children's author in Austin as of course he is real-life children's author. His books include "How I Became a Dog Called Midnight" and "Diary of a Big Bad Wolf".