Man of STEAL!

Rising star LUCAS LEACH on why we should enrol in a new school-set saga

- STEVEN PERKINS

Early on a June morning in Northern Ireland, TV Times walks through lush green gardens on our way to visit a charming country estate, which is providing the backdrop for BBC1's new adventure drama Crookhaven. Stepping under a towering archway, we're suddenly transported into the sprawling corridors of the fictional Crookhaven School, and it feels like we've entered a new world... Inspired by the popular children's novel series by author JJ Arcanjo, the eight-episode epic centres around smart Gabriel Avery (newcomer Lucas Leach), an impoverished young pickpocket who steals to support himself and his doting grandma Sue (Mr Bates vs the Post Office's Julie Hesmondhalgh). One day, Gabriel receives a cryptic invitation from headmaster Caspian Lockett (Dougray Scott, see panel, above right) that summons him to Crookhaven, a secret academy where young 'Crooklings' are steered away from a life of crime and taught to use their skills for the greater good instead. But can he prove he belongs there?

After a tour of the set, including Caspian's extravagant office, a high-tech hacking classroom and even a hidden passageway, TV Times joins Lucas for a chat during a break in filming...

How do we meet Gabriel at the start of the series?