A TV show that unexpectedly put Hexham at the centre of efforts to control a national crisis has become a hot topic one more.

Sky One drama surprised viewers in the Tyne Valley last year when it mentioned the town of Hexham several times.

Named after the Government’s emergency committee, the show followed Prime Minister Robert Sutherland, played by Robert Carlyle, as he struggles to deal with a crisis caused by the sun.

A solar flare caused a geomagnetic storm, frying the electricity grid and messing up all the plane navigation systems.

The resulting chaos sees fictional versions of the North-East’s emergency services called into action – including the Royal Northumberland Hospital and the Tyneside Police force which covers Hexham and Northumberland.

Sky's description of the show reads: "The high stakes six-part drama deals with an unfolding national emergency that threatens to engulf the country as the COBRA committee, a team comprised of Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners and most senior politicians fights to ensure the protection of the people of Great Britain.

"The Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff must contend with impossible political decisions, whilst also wrestling with ferociously pressured personal lives.

"Not only do they bear the weight of public expectation and their family’s needs; they must also be mindful of their political opponents who will use any sign of weakness as an opportunity to strike."

What was particularly strange during the show's first series was that it actually featured a well-known Hexham man - who had no idea the town would be mentioned!

Wil Cheung worked on the show as an extra, but was left bewildered when it finally aired.

While the show’s geography has been called into question by some viewers (why were the victims of a plane crash near Newton Aycliffe taken to Hexham Hospital?) it was evidently popular, as it is currently top of the Sky trending charts, with work well underway on a second series.

The Manchester Evening News recently reported that Trafford was the scene of the second series, with armed police filmed on the area's streets.