Image Credit: Netflix
We are following its development fables What’s On has been on Netflix for quite some time now, and today, Netflix has finally pulled back the curtain. We’ve got our first look images, a brand new trailer, and most importantly, a confirmed release date: Thursday, May 7, 2026.
From writer and producer Neil Forsyth (gold, Crime), fables Looks like this is going to be your next British crime drama obsession. Inspired by one of the most remarkable criminal investigations ever conducted in the UK, the six-part series uncovers a practically unknown chapter in British history.
In case you missed our extensive preview for the series, the show takes us back to the early 1990s. Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise is losing its battle against illegal drug trafficking, leading to a truly extraordinary, top-secret operation. A group of ordinary, completely untrained customs employees are removed from their normal lives, given a basic training regimen, and sent undercover to infiltrate Britain’s most dangerous drug gangs. To survive, they would have to create entirely new identities in the criminal underworld – these identities were called their ‘Legends’.
Image Credit: Netflix
In a new statement today, coinciding with the first look, Neil Forsyth talked about why this story needs to be told via a press release from Netflix UK today, saying:
“I’ve written shows in the past that are about famous events. Then you tell the story behind it, which is not so famous. It’s unique, in that it’s the work of legends that are barely known. There was this core team of people that made it all happen, and they did it almost without any public recognition.”
Forsyth said he conducted extensive research interviews with real-life undercover operatives, including the inspiration for the show’s lead, Guy Stanton. “A lot of them are from working-class backgrounds who don’t have any kind of financial support for their decisions,” Forsyth shared. “Suddenly, they have an opportunity to do something completely different that satisfies their unique personal motivations and hopes and dreams, but it also comes with a huge risk, and they can’t help but dive into it.”
Meet the great artists
Fables. (Left to Right) Tom Burke as Guy, Jasmine Blackborough as Erin, Steve Coogan as Dawn, Amal Amin as Bailey, Hayley Squires as Kate in Legends. Ten million. Courtesy of Sally Mace/Netflix © 2026
leading the pack tom burke (strike, gunman) who plays Guy, a disgruntled Heathrow suitcase inspector and frustrated family man who realizes he is capable of more. Speaking on his character’s dangerous pivot to become a “legend”, Burke said:
“Their attraction on recruitment posters is asking ‘Can you offer more?’ Feels pretty universal…feels like it never did the work it needed to do; A side of himself that he has pushed down, or that his environment has pushed down. There’s an adrenaline junkie out there somewhere. Maybe someone else will go and bungee jump, but he needs something more than that. It’s like it’s something he has to do, so he can live the rest of his life.”
British comedy and acting royalty are also joining them steve coogan (alan partridge, accounting book), who plays Don, the head of operations. Coogan says this series is not just a fascinating yarn, but a deep dive into the psychology of undercover work:
“Probably a lot of people would love to reinvent themselves as someone else, even as a kind of fantasy. If you spend most of your time as someone else, how do you know who you are now, and who you should be? How we present ourselves professionally, how we act when we’re not in a professional space. All of those things are examined in a really thoughtful way in Legends.”
Completing the incredibly stacked cast for the series is as follows:
- hayley squire as kate
- Tom Hughes as carter
- Amal Amen as bailey
- Jasmine Blackborough as erin
- douglas hodge as blake
- johnny harris as eddie
- gerald kidd as mylonus
- numan acre as hakan
- charlotte richie as sophie
- joshua samuels as zeke
- kem hassan as aziz
- Thomas Combs as shaun
Of course, keen readers will recall that we also exclusively revealed that Con O’Neill, Paddy Rowan and Robbie O’Neill had joined the cast after filming moved to Liverpool, alongside Sonny Walker and Joshua Barrie.
Well, let’s check out some more sneak peeks before it premieres in a few weeks:
Image Credit: Netflix
Image Credit: Netflix
Image Credit: Netflix
Image Credit: Netflix
Image Credit: Netflix
Image Credit: Netflix
Legend is directed by Brady Hood and Julian Holmes, with the former directing episodes 1 to 4 and the latter 5 and 6. The series is produced by Tannadice Pictures, with Ben Farrell and Neil Forsyth serving as executive producers for Lion Television with Richard Bradley for Tannadice. Charlie Leach serves as series producer.
will you check fables When will it be on Netflix May 7th? Let us know in the comments, and you can tell Add new series to your Netflix queue here.
