Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat cast their Dracula: "Hell has a new boss"

According to the writers, finding Bang was “one of those moments".

"Who else could it be than Claes! He has it all. Brilliant, gorgeous, charismatic, lethal. Tall, dark and gruesome all at once. Hell has a new boss."

Following the Sherlock formula of three feature-length episodes, the new take on Bram Stoker's blood-sucking anti-hero promises to "re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy".

The synopsis continues, "in Transylvania in 1897, the blood-drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast."

Bang said of his casting, “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Dracula, especially when the script is in the hands of the incredible talents of Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and the team responsible for Sherlock.

"I'm so excited that I get to dig in to this iconic and super-interesting character. Yes he's evil, but there's also so much more to him, he’s charismatic, intelligent, witty and sexy. I realise that there's a lot to live up to with all the amazing people that have played him over the years, but I feel so privileged, to be taking on this incredible character.”

The series will premiere on BBC1 in the UK and on Netflix in other territories.

This article was originally published on 28 November 2018