Begbie star confirms his Trainspotting spin-off series is being written and will be six episodes long

Good news for Trainspotting fans – there's a promising update on the upcoming spin-off show that will focus on Begbie. Last year actor Robert Carlyle confirmed that a TV series about his popular character was in the works, adapting author Irvine Welsh's 2016 novel The Blade Artist. Now the star has revealed that not only are scripts currently being written, but the show will consist of six episodes.

Carlyle told Total Film magazine this in the new issue, which hits newsstands on Thursday, October 12 and features Ridley Scott on the cover: "This is the first time I’ve really been there, at the concept of the thing. At this stage, as Irvine [Welsh, writer] said himself, no one knows the character like me. The plan is that it’s going to be a six-part story. We have the first script but we’re not settled on it just yet. The next draft is due to come to me in a couple of weeks."

The story will pick up with Begbie following the events of T2: Trainspotting, the 2017 sequel directed by Danny Boyle who also helmed the 1996 original. Now reformed, Begbie is living by the name of Jim Francis in sunny California, but heads back to Scotland after tragic events. There, he is forced to confront his past.

Whilst there is no estimated release date right now for The Blade Artist, Carlyle is back on our screens very soon in COBRA: Rebellion. The explosive third instalment of that series will begin airing on Sky Max and NOW from 12 October, with Carlyle returning as Prime Minister Sutherland. 

When asked by Total Film about playing such a role during a fraught time in British politics, Carlyle replied: "Well, I mean, some of the stuff that goes on in the real world, you couldn’t write it. Honestly, it’s been fantastic, but who would have thought that I’d be a Conservative Prime Minister?! I’m lucky if they let me back into Scotland at this rate!" Well, we are sure they will!

• Pre-order the Ridley Scott issue of Total Film now

The Blade Artist is coming soon. For much more from Robert Carlyle, feast your eyes on the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, October 12. Check out the covers below:

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. With our latest offer, you can get a gift worth £29.99 when you take out a print/bundle subscription. You'll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers (like the one on the right, above).