Richard Gere will return to the small screen in a brand new BBC drama.

Richard Gere

Richard Gere

The 'Pretty Woman' actor revealed he last appeared on TV almost 30 years ago, and he will star as US media mogul Max in the show 'MotherFatherSon'.

The BBC Two programme - penned by 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story' writer Tom Rob Smith - will also feature 'Peaky Blinders' actress Helen McCrory as his ex-wife Kathryn, while 'On Chesil Beach' star Billy Howle will play their son Caden.

Caden runs Max's UK-based newspaper, and is set to follow in his father's footsteps before his self-destructive lifestyle threatens everything.

Gere, 68, said: "It's been almost 30 years since I worked in television.

"I'm so pleased to be working now with the BBC on this extraordinary eight-hour project with such talented people and which resonates so much to the time we live in."

Filming is set to take place in London and Spain over the summer, and Hilary Salmon, executive producer for BBC Studios Drama, admitted the cast is beyond their wildest dreams.

She said: "When we embarked on casting we didn't dare dream of the quality we now have in place."

Meanwhile, Smith has hailed the quality of the performers connected to the drama and insisted its success hinged on having such quality.

He added: "Telling this story was always going to depend upon gathering an extraordinary cast."