Glenda Jackson returns to the screen for the first time in more than 25 years

Glenda Jackson will return to television screens for the first time in more than 25 years to star in a new BBC drama based on bestselling novel, Elizabeth Is Missing.

Now aged 83, the double-Oscar winner and former Labour MP will play a dementia sufferer in a BBC One adaptation of Emma Healey's 2014 novel.

Jackson, who last appeared on screen in December 1992 when she was just 56, will play main character Maud in the one-off, feature-length drama.

The screenplay is being written by Andrea Gibb, screenwriter of 2016 film Swallows and Amazons, and will be directed by Aisling Walsh, who was behind the 2015 TV movie adaptation of J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.

Jackson said: "I am delighted to be making my return to television to play Maud, a character it is impossible not to be charmed and moved by.

"Emma's novel and Andrea's screenplay paint the most striking portrait of a woman in the grip of a devastating condition."

Jackson, who has won two Oscars, two Emmys, one BAFTA and one Golden Globe award, was last seen on screen in the December 1992 South Bank Show episode, The Secret Life of Arnold Bax.

She retired from acting to stand for election to the House of Commons in the 1992 general election, and became the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, until her retirement from politics in 2015.

The BBC have said they are "thrilled" that Jackson is returning to the screen for their "gripping mystery" adaptation of Elizabeth Is Missing.

BBC drama controller Piers Wenger said: "We are thrilled that Glenda Jackson is returning to the BBC and will be at the heart of this inspiring and extraordinary tale.

"Andrea Gibb's brilliantly-crafted script and adaptation of Elizabeth Is Missing explores important themes told through emotion, warmth and humour."

Executive producer Sarah Brown, of STV Productions, which is making the drama, added: "We are honoured that one of our country's finest actors has chosen Elizabeth Is Missing for her long-awaited return to television.

"In Maud, novelist Emma Healey has created a truly memorable character who has captivated millions of readers.

"We couldn't be more excited that Maud is now being brought to life on screen by the legendary Glenda Jackson."

Jackson's character Maud is "convinced that something terrible has happened and sets out to solve the mystery" when her best friend Elizabeth disappears.

"But with her dementia worsening, unfinished business unearthed and the past and present starting to merge, Maud's search takes on a poignant urgency," said Sarah Brown.

Jackson returned to acting on stage in King Lear in 2016, winning glowing reviews and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for the stage role.

Filming for Elizabeth Is Missing will begin in Scotland in August, with further casting still to be announced.