IT Welcome to Derry release date, cast, plot and how to watch new horror series

A new eight-part series featuring a sewer-dwelling clown that terrorises children and brings their nightmares to life is set to hit our screens next week.

IT: Welcome to Derry, based on Stephen King's terrifying novel IT, has been adapted for television by sibling duo Andy and Barbara Muschietti (who both worked on the 2017 and 2019 IT films) alongside Jason Fuchs.

The series will be available to UK viewers on Sky and NOW TV, with the release date fast approaching.

For those horror enthusiasts eager to immerse themselves in the show, here's everything you need to know before diving in.

IT: Welcome to Derry's first episode will be available to UK viewers on October 27 via Sky and NOW TV.

Following its premiere, new episodes will air weekly, every Monday, culminating in the grand finale on December 15, reports the Daily Record.

Meanwhile, American audiences will get a head start, with the first episode airing on HBO on October 26 at 9pm ET. It will also be available for streaming on HBO Max.

Bill Skarsgard is reprising his role as the titular IT/Pennywise after portraying the character in both cinematic adaptations of the story. He also serves as an executive producer for the prequel series.

The star-studded cast includes Chris Chalk (When They See Us), Jovan Adepo (3 Body Problem), Taylour Paige (The Toxic Avenger), James Remar (Dexter), Madeleine Stowe (Revenge), Stephen Rider (Becoming) and Rudy Mancuso (The Flash).

The series aims to delve into the origins of the terrifying clown Pennywise, exploring where it came from and what makes this monstrous entity tick. Acting as a prequel to the films, the series is set 27 years prior to the horrifying events depicted in IT Chapter One.

As we journey back in time, viewers will encounter the ancestors and bloodlines of some well-known characters.

The forthcoming series draws inspiration from the five interlude stories found within King's IT novel, which are narrated by the character Mike Hanlon. These interludes provide readers with a history of the fictional town of Derry and offer further insight into Pennywise.

Director Andy hinted that the narrative inspired by these interludes will be told in reverse. Addressing an audience at New York Comic Con, he disclosed that it is "a story that is told not forward but a story that is told backward and has a final conclusion - the events in which IT becomes Pennywise."

He added: "There's a reason and a secret why we're telling the story backward. I can't tell you now. I guess you have to see the show."

IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on Sky and NOW TV on October 27 with episodes then released weekly every Monday