Sir Ian McKellen to star in drama school comedy

Sir Ian McKellen is to star in a comedy set in The Clapham Academy of Creative Arts, a fictional drama school feeling the bite of the recession.

The documentary style television programme, filmed by the producers of BBC1's My Family, will see McKellen (pictured right) playing his fictional brother Murray.

The production, which is yet to be assigned to a broadcaster, will also star Jonathan Hyde, Sylvester McCoy and Frances Barber, The Stage has reported.

Producer Humphrey Barclay described McKellen's comedy skills as “delicious”.

“This is the first time he has chosen to do a comedy series, and he has turned down everything else to play his wayward, elegant, hilarious alter ego, his fictional brother Murray, dedicated to the survival of a shoe-string drama school,” he said.