Dan Stevens has joined the cast of the BBC’s forthcoming spy thriller.

Legacy of Spies is based on two books by John le Carré: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and A Legacy of Spies.

The eight-part series will see the return of George Smiley, last seen on screen in the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

In the BBC series, Smiley will be played by Matthew MacFadyen, who will star alongside Charlie Hunnam as Alec Leamas, a maverick field operative, and Daniel Brühl as Josef Fiedler, a methodical Stasi intelligence strategist.

Dan Stevens has joined the cast as Bill Haydon, a brilliant and enigmatic Circus insider.

The series, which has begun filming, will have its premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on MGM+ in the United States.