The BBC is to screen a major new drama series about one man's efforts to come to terms with the abuse he suffered while in care.

The series, Care, which will go out on BBC1 in the autumn, has been written by Kieran Prendiville, creator of the hit series Ballykissangel.

It is directed by acclaimed film maker Antonia Bird who said: "This is the hardest task I've ever faced - because the depth of human tragedy beggars belief.

"At every point the system designed to care for these young people, failed them. Turning away would have been like joining that litany of neglect."

Care stars Steven Mackintosh, whose credits include Undercover Heart and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. Other cast members are Jaye Griffiths, whose credits include Bugs and Hard Cases, and newcomers Maria Pride and Daniel John Parker.

The drama, which is still being filmed, tells the fictional story of one man's attempts to come to terms with the abuse he experienced as a child, and how his cries for help were deliberately ignored.

Controller of BBC1 Peter Salmon said: "Care is a stark reminder that the worst kind of abuse is to the most vulnerable in society - children. We must never be allowed to forget that, and perhaps Care will play a small part in making sure we continue to do everything we can to eradicate it."

Co-producers Ruth Caleb and Louise Panton carried out years of research to bring the project to fruition and it was conceived against a backdrop of child abuse scandals across the UK including Cleveland in the late Eighties, and North Wales in the Nineties.

The programme was part of a £189 million autumn package launched by the BBC yesterday.