Two Oxford academics are trawling the shelves of the Bodleian Library, on the hunt for a very particular book. Sounds like just another day in the Radcliffe Camera, right? Wrong – the dons in question just happen to be a vampire and a witch, and the leads of A Discovery of Witches, coming to Sky One on 14th September.

What's it about?

The witch – although, as she remarks in the teaser trailer below, 'I’m not into that stuff' – is Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), an American historian who enlists the help of vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) to unravel the secrets of the Book of Spells, an ancient magical manuscript. A romance soon sparks, which puts them in a bit of a pickle, as interspecies relations are, ahem, rather frowned upon in the magical community. Not to mention there’s all sorts of unsavoury supernatural types after the Book…

What's it based on?

A Discovery of Witches is adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Deborah Harkness, and has been produced for TV by Bad Wolf and Sky. Harkness is onboard as executive producer and co-writer, so fans of her trilogy don’t need to worry about any heartless butchering of their beloved characters.

Who's in the cast?

Alongside Palmer and Goode, Doctor Who favourite Alex Kingston stars as Diana’s aunt and guardian Sarah Bishop, and Lindsay Duncan plays Matthew’s mother Ysabeau. Other familiar faces include Louise Brealey (Sherlock), Aisling Loftus (War and Peace), and Greg McHugh (Fresh Meat).

Why should you be excited about it?

The full-length trailer (below) shows off some seriously gorgeous locations: Venice’s Grand Canal, and Oxford’s honey-brown libraries and colleges stand out. All in all, A Discovery of Witches looks set to be just the kind of autumn programme we love to snuggle on the sofa with as the nights start to draw in. And with the series's run spanning the whole of October, it’s sure to put you in a suitably witchy mood for Halloween.