Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley lead cast of Sky adaptation The Midwich Cuckoos

The series will introduce viewers a modern-day version of Midwich, a small English commuter town "populated by nuclear families and affluent high streets", according Sky's synopsis.

The sleepy town is jerked awake when one of its corners experiences a strange incident which sees its inhabitants pass out without warning or reason. When the blackout lifts, every woman of child-bearing age inside the zone is inexplicably pregnant, leaving psychotherapist Dr Susannah Zellaby (Hawes) and officer Paul Kirby (Beesley) to solve the mystery behind the phenomenon.

Speaking of the casting, Hawes said in a statement: "I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Sky and the brilliant Ruth Kenley-Letts on David Farr’s superb adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos. I’m very much looking forward to working with the hugely talented Max Beesley and the amazing cast and I can’t wait to enter the strange and unsettling world of Midwich!”

Writer and creator David Farr added: "I first read The Midwich Cuckoos when I was 12. I was living in a small town in 1980s Britain. Everything about the book rang true to me and terrified me. An invasion of a small community by a hostile and ruthless force. Apparently innocent children as a force of huge malevolent power. It got under my skin.

“As I've grown older, the story has never ceased to exert a grip. The idea that we may birth our own destruction is so simple and frightening. That as a mother or a father, the being we love most in the world may turn on us. It's the stuff of nightmares."

Set to air on Sky and NOW sometime in 2022, the series will also feature Aisling Loftus, Ukweli Roach, Synnøve Karlsen, Lara Rossi, Lewis Reeves, Rebekah Staton and Anneika Rose.

If you're looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy hubs.