Sky have confirmed they will premiere new drama Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, on Tuesday 20th March at 8pm on Sky 1. A week later than originally stated.

Sky 1 HD is proud to announce Kiefer Sutherland’s highly anticipated new drama TOUCH, from Heroes‘ creator TIM KRING. Launching on Sky 1 HD and Sky 1 on March 20th at 8pm, TOUCH marks Sutherlands first television project since 24, and his welcome return to Sky 1 HD.

At the centre of TOUCH is Martin Bohm (Sutherland), a widower and single father, haunted by an inability to connect to his mute 11-year-old son, Jake, played by David Mazouz (Criminal Minds). Everything changes when Martin discovers that Jake possesses the gift of staggering genius – the ability to see things that no one else can in the patterns that connect seemingly unrelated events. Jake is indeed communicating, but it’s not with words, it’s with numbers. Now, it’s up to Martin to decipher the meaning and connect the numbers to the cast of characters whose lives they affect.

TOUCH co-stars veteran Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon)as a professor and expert on gifted children who works alongside Martin in deciphering the meaning of Jake’s visions; and British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw (JJ Abrams’ Undercovers) as a social worker who works with Martin as they learn that Jake can see things and patterns that connect unrelated events. The series marks Tim Kring’s first television series following his Emmy^TM nomination for the drama Heroes, which ended in 2010.

Following a special preview in the US last month, TOUCH has already proved to be one of the biggest hits of the TV season attracting over 12 million viewers, with critics saying the pilot “was compelling, emotional, mature and hopeful” and calling Sutherland’s performance “magnetic” . In a television first, there will be a worldwide launch for the series, which will premiere nearly simultaneously in more than 100 countries.

Speaking on what originally attracted him to the role, Sutherland commented: “There was something interesting because obviously this is very different to 24. Yet there is a real similar through line in the kind of character of the man. Jack Bauer would be faced with unbelievable circumstances in the course of a day and he would never win completely. This guy is never going to win either. He’s never going to have the quintessential relationship of a father and a son. And yet he perseveres and that’s a great kind of character statement and I identified with him greatly on that.”

TOUCH is produced by Chernin Entertainment, in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television. Kring wrote the pilot and will executive produce alongside Sutherland, Francis Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope, Suzan Bymel and Carol Barbee. Lawrence (Water for Elephants), directed the pilot.

TOUCH will launch on Tuesday 20th March, 8pm, Sky 1 HD and on the move with Sky Go.