The latest star of Doctor Who is set to take on the role of an acclaimed gay writer in a new BBC drama series.

Matt Smith [top photo], 27, will play a young Christopher Isherwood [below], who escapes his domineering mother and moves to Berlin in the 1930s.

Called Christopher and his Kind, the series will be based on Isherwood’s memoirs. One of the writer’s most popular books, A Single Man, has recently been filmed by Tom Ford.

Matt Smith has played Doctor Who since the beginning of the year, in new episodes currently screening in Australia’s ABC channel each Sunday evening.

The actor was recently seen on the cover of the UK’s Gay Times magazine, as a gesture to the show’s many gay fans. Smith told the mag he was “thrilled” at being its cover star: “I’ve got a lot of gay friends actually so… I hope they read it. I feel privileged. It’s a cool cover to get.”