Benedict Cumberbatch has begun filming his new drama series Patrick Melrose which will be broadcast on Sky Atlantic and Showtime.

The four-month shoot has begun in London where it runs for two weeks before moving on to the south of France for another fortnight. It will than move to New York.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hugo Weaving and Alison Williams co-star. Blythe Danner has also been confirmed as joining the cast,

The five part series is based on the novels by Edward St Aubyn and adapted for the screen by David Nicholls.

With each episode devoted to one of the five novels, the series will encompass the saga of Patrick Melrose’s (Cumberbatch) life, from his horribly abusive youth at the hands of his father (Weaving) and the mother who tacitly condones the behaviour (Leigh), to the outrageous playboy he becomes and the struggles he endures to defy the damage of his own past.

Expect to see it on TV sometime in 2018.