Paul Abbott is returning to British TV screens with a new show - about a pre-op transsexual contract killer called Chloe.

The award-winning writer and producer, whose previous hits include Shameless, State Of Play and Clocking Off, worked with writer Sean Conway on Hit And Miss which will be on Sky Atlantic HD.

The show, which begins in August, will follow Chloe's discovery that a former girlfriend is dying and that the pair have a 10-year-old son in West Yorkshire she never knew about.

Several scenes will be acted out in complete silence, reflecting the presence of a deaf child among the cast of characters

Director of programmes Stuart Murphy said: "Sky Atlantic is about bringing the most iconic, epic and creatively surprising content to Sky customers. Most of this will be from America, but every year there will be one or two big British pieces in there. Hit And Miss will be the first of the huge and exciting British dramas specially commissioned for it."

Other UK-based talent on the channel include Sir David Attenborough and a comedy called This Is Jinsy which Mr Murphy likened to The Mighty Boosh.

Earlier this year, BBC boss Mark Thompson accused Sky of not pulling its weight in investing in UK talent.

Shameless, the story of the dysfunctional Gallagher family, was largely based on Abbott's own chaotic childhood in Burnley.

It has recently been remade in America with Oscar-nominated William H Macy in the role of feckless father Frank Gallagher, played in the UK original by David Threlfall.