Ben Whishaw is to play the lead role in BBC Two’s new drama series ‘London Spy’.
The 33-year-old actor will take on the role of Danny, who is described as an "innocent, young romantic", in the five-part thriller, with filming set to begin next month.
The new series comes from ‘Child 44’ author Tom Rob Smith, who said: "Ben Whishaw is quite simply one of the best actors in the country. It’s an extraordinary privilege, as a writer, to have him play the lead."
Elsewhere, Polly Hill, BBC’s head of independent drama, said: "This is a beautifully written love story, caught up in a spy thriller. A wonderfully complex and surprising story, of one man’s search for the truth."
The series – which is set on a London street that houses the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service on one side of the road and the headquarters of the gay clubbing scene on the opposite – is set to air on BBC Two in 2015.
Meanwhile, Whishaw – who has also starred as gadget wizard Q in James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’ – claimed recently he doesn’t fear being typecast now he has come out as a gay man.
He said: "It’s not a consideration for me, because gay characters are as varied and different as heterosexual characters.
"I’ve played all sorts of different people, so I don’t see the need to balance them out."
Ben Whishaw to star in London Spy
