The BBC has acquired the brand new short-form comedy-drama Cheaters, from Clerkenwell Films, the makers of The End of the F***ing World, Misfits, Lovesick and The Dig.

An eighteen-episode story told in ten-minute chapters, Cheaters is a sexy, messy, comedy-drama about morality and monogamy, and everything in between.

The series is written and created by breakout writer Oliver Lyttelton (The Listener), directed by Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso, Lovesick) and produced by Alex Walsh-Taylor (In The Long Run, Lovesick).

Cheaters tells the story of a chance meeting after a cancelled flight that leads to an unlikely night of drunken airport-hotel sex between two strangers in their late twenties, Fola and Josh. The next morning, as they rush to make the rescheduled flight, both admit they are with other people – Fola is married to Zack, and Josh is in a long term relationship with Esther. After arguing at the airport and ignoring each other on the plane, they finally agree their night of passion was a mistake and go their separate ways. But as Josh gets off at the bus stop next to his flat, he’s horrified to see Fola pulling up in a taxi across the road and heading into the house she has just bought. Josh and Fola are going to be neighbours. And to make life more complicated, Esther and Zack are keen to be friends.

The series stars Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes, Truth Seekers) as Fola and Joshua McGuire (Industry, The Duke) as Josh. Callie Cooke (Rules of the Game, Britannia) plays Esther, and Jack Fox (Sanditon, Riviera) plays the role of Zack. Further cast includes Andrea Valls (Waffle the Wonder Dog), Shiloh Coke (Pirates) and Jay Lycurgo (Titans).

Cheaters (18x10’) is produced by Clerkenwell Films, which is a wholly owned BBC Studios indie production partner. The series was both commissioned and funded by BBC Studios and leading producer and financier Anton as part of a long-term development deal. Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Emily Harrison and Matt Jarvis are the Executive Producers for Clerkenwell Films, Caroline Stone is Executive Producer for BBC Studios and Sebastien Raybaud is Executive Producer for Anton. Cheaters was acquired for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama. BBC Studios is distributing the series internationally.

Cheaters starts on Tuesday 8 February at 9.45pm on BBC One, and all episodes will be available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer.