The BBC has greenlit a new drama in the style of Mike Leigh's 1977 play, Abigail's Party.

Written by A Class Apart creator Tony Grounds, The Dinner Party will be a one-off 90-minute drama exploring the lives of three middle-class couples who live in the same Hertfordshire village. The action will be shot in real time over the course of the evening’s events.

Mike Leigh's 1977 original 'comedy of manners' was a BBC Play for Today which starred Alison Steadman as the man-eating Beverley, and has since become a classic.

Actor Timothy Spall has been linked to a part in the new drama, but the full cast has yet to be finalised. Shooting is due to start in June.