A satire about the life of jailed author and politician Jeffrey Archer is one of a raft of political dramas being produced by BBC One.

Jeffrey Archer, The Truth depicts the life of Lord Archer through his own vision of himself - complete with rose-tinted spectacles.

Written and directed by Guy Jenkins of Drop the Dead Donkey fame, it has yet to be cast but is expected to aired by spring 2003.

BBC One controller of drama commissioning, Jane Tranter, said the script was "audaciously witty" but admitted Lord Archer had no part in the development.

The ascent of New Labour will be portrayed in The Project

The former peer was jailed for three years in July 2001 for perjury and perverting the course of justice following a libel case he brought against the Daily Star newspaper.

The drama will first look back at his heady days in which he sees himself on the fast track to a successful political career where he is untouchable.

Political intrigue is essential to another new BBC drama about New Labour's rise to power, The Project.

The drama revolves around the careers of four political activists, charting New Labour's political dominance and election victory in 1997.

Fictional characters

The two-parter is written by Leigh Jackson, who scripted Warriors and Other People's Children. It is directed by Peter Kosminsky, whose previous work includes Warriors and Shoot to Kill.

The film uses fictional characters who appear within a factual setting, from early days at Labour's Millbank headquarters through to Downing Street.

"This film is about idealistic young people who want to help Labour get into power and, ultimately, change things," said Mr Kosminsky.

"It is a realistic portrayal of how we got to May 1, 1997, and what happened afterwards."

A third political drama is planned called State of Play, Paul Abbott's thriller set in Whitehall about the death of a young intern who was having an affair with a Labour minister.

The Key, by Donna Franceschild, will examine the history of socialism and the trade union movement in Scotland over the past century, through the eyes of three generations of a Glasgow family.