The two-part drama for BBC One sees the actor take on the part of Joseph Merrick, who got the unkind moniker due to severe facial and body deformities.

The Elephant Man follow’s Merrick’s extraordinary journey from his working-class beginnings in Leicestershire into the freak shows that made him famous, and on to his time at the London Hospital and his friendship with Dr Frederick Treves.

Treves saw Merrick exhibited in a shop in 1884 and brought him to the London Hospital where he lived until his death in 1890, aged 27.

The adaptation captures real events from Merrick’s life, and shows the remarkable courage, determination and dignity that he demonstrated in the face of mockery and unkindness.

Charlie Heaton is best known for his role in Netflix’s Emmy-winning Stranger Things where he plays Jonathan Byers. “Joseph has such an incredible story and I can’t wait to go on this journey and bring him to life,” he said.

BBC Drama controller promised that the drama would “shed ned light on this story,  bringing greater depth and humanity to it than ever before.”