Scots legend Brian Cox to star in BBC war drama

By Rory Reynolds

SCOTS actor Brian Cox is part of a star-studded cast for a new BBC drama about the sinking of the RMS Laconia by a German u-boat in 1942.

Cox, 63, – who previously starred in blockbuster The Bourne Supremacy and X-Men II – will appear in The Sinking Of The Laconia as the heroic Captain Sharp, who evacuated many of the ship’s passengers before it sank.

Captain Sharp’s knowledge and swift action was said to be instrumental in saving many lives – because his previous ship had also been torpedoed by the Germans.

Sharp controlled the chaos onboard the ill-fated vessel, before evacuating the woman and children from the ship.

The Dundee-born actor – who usually portrays villains like Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter – will star alongside Andrew Buchan, who has featured in the award-winning drama Cranford and ITV’s The Fixer.