Doctor Who star Billie Piper joins "deeply moving" true story film with A-list cast including beloved Oscar winner

Doctor Who icon Billie Piper has been added to the cast of upcoming film Elsinore – joining a starry ensemble led by Andrew Scott and beloved Oscar-winner Olivia Colman.

Piper is one of many new names announced for the drama – which has just begun filming on location around the UK – with other recognisable faces including Johnny Flynn (Ripley), Luke Thompson (Bridgerton), Monica Dolan (Mr Bates Vs The Post Office), Juliet Stevenson (Reawakening) Joe Locke (Heartstopper), Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood) and Peter Mullan (I Swear).

Meanwhile, there are also roles for Matthew Beard (The Testament of Ann Lee), David Dawson (The Last Kingdom), Kadiff Kirwan (Slow Horses) and Dickie Beau (What It Feels Like For A Girl).

The film is set to be helmed by Simon Stone (The Woman in Cabin 10), who previously directed Piper's Olivier Award-winning performance in Yerma, and is based on a script by Stephen Beresford (Pride).

It tells the true story of Scottish actor Ian Charleson – played in the film by Scott – who, per the official synopsis, "faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London."

Charleson was known for his roles in a number of iconic films, including Oscar-winners Gandhi and Chariots of Fire, and died in 1990, four years after he had been diagnosed with HIV. Before his death, he requested that the cause of his illness should be made public after he passed – making it the first time that a death of a celebrity in the UK had been openly attributed HIV/AIDS.

His final, hugely acclaimed role as Hamlet took place between 9th October and 13th November 1989, while he was seriously ill and just eight weeks before his death.

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Beyond the fact that Scott will play Charleson and Colman will star as his doctor, it's not yet been revealed who the other cast members will be playing, but there's certainly no shortage of talent in the ensemble.

Speaking about the film when it was first announced in December 2025, Stone declared it as "one of the most exciting projects I've ever been involved in."

He added: "Stephen Beresford's screenplay is both heartbreaking and hilarious, a beautiful ode to the power of community in times of crisis. Andrew Scott is one of the greatest actors of his generation as Ian Charleson was: it's momentous casting."

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