The BBC has unveiled a series of new drama commissions, including a new show by the writers of Merlin and a Pride and Prejudice-inspired period piece.

BBC Drama Controller Ben Stephenson spoke today about his vision for the BBC drama department going forward, and a number of upcoming projects have us very intrigued!

Former Merlin showrunners Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy will serve as executive producers on a new 13-episode drama series titled Atlantis, which follows a young man named Jason who arrives on the mysterious island to explore Greek myths and legends, that have been “re-imagined for a new generation.”

This sounds very similar in format to Merlin, although of course it tackles a completely different set of stories. It has been written and created by Howard Overman, whose former projects include Merlin, Misfits and Dirk Gently. It will begin airing in the fall of 2013, in Merlin’s old Saturday night time slot.

Another of the BBC’s commissioned projects, Death Comes to Pemberley (written by Juliette Towhidi, writer of Calendar Girls), is less Merlin and more Downton Abbey; based on the P.D. James novel of the same name, it takes place six years after the events of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and will be following the lives of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. It is a bit of a murder mystery, too – we’re intrigued!

You can read the full list of new drama commissions on the BBC’s website. Are you excited for these two new shows?