A Welsh actor is to star in a new TV crime drama.

Llandrindod Wells native, Tom Cullen, known for his roles in The Gold and Becoming Elizabeth, will play a local crime kingpin in the S4C series, Ar y Ffin.

The series is set in Newport and primarily revolves around the city's magistrates court.

The six-part series is produced by Severn Screen and will begin on December 29.

The series follows the life of Claire Lewis Jones, a magistrate, as she discovers a complex network of criminal activity that threatens her and her family.

Joining Mr Cullen in the series is Erin Richards, star of Gotham and The Crown, who plays the lead role of Claire.

This is Ms Richards' first role since her return to Wales after years of success in New York.

While the drama unfolds in Newport's magistrates court, it is Mr Cullen's character, Saint Pete, who is the local crime kingpin.

The series is co-written by Hannah Daniel, star of Keeping Faith and Holby City, and Georgina Lee, a real-life magistrate.

Ms Richards said: "I read the first three episodes to start with and I just felt like Claire was such an interesting character living in a relatable world, and I was really excited to find out how the story would progress, which I always think is a good sign.

"I felt I could empathise with Claire.

"I could feel myself in the character."

Writer Ms Lee said: "Being a magistrate is an interesting position to hold because it's a volunteer job yet you do have quite a lot of power.

"We took Claire as our starting point and we wanted to take a really moral character and imagine what it would take to make her want to put her thumb on the scale of justice."

The series will also air as Mudtown on UKTV’s crime drama channel Alibi next year.

All3Media International will handle the distribution of the series.

The series is commissioned for S4C by Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C’s drama commissioner, and Helen Perry, head of drama for UKTV.