Daniel Radcliffe And Jon Hamm Join British Miniseries

Actors will play younger and older version of Russian doctor in four-part dramedy 'A Young Doctor's Notebook.'
By Fallon Prinzivalli

Daniel Radcliffe
Photo: Getty Images

What do Don Draper and Harry Potter have in common? They're both about to become doctors.

The Internet was buzzing earlier this month when rumors popped up that actors Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe were set to play the older and younger version of a Russian doctor in a four-part British miniseries set during the end of World War I. On Friday (May 18), Sky Arts, the network set to air the series in 2013, confirmed that we'll indeed get to see Dr. HammRad in action. "A Young Doctor's Notebook" is a dramedy based on a short-story collection by Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian writer and playwright.

"I have been an obsessive Bulgakov reader for a couple of years now," Radcliffe said in a statement about the television program. "So when the opportunity to become involved in this project came up, I could barely contain my excitement. The book is funny, grotesque and heartfelt in equal measure and I look forward to working with a great group of people to help bring it to life."

Hamm agreed with his new co-star's enthusiasm, saying, "I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work on such rich source material with such fantastically talented people whose work I greatly respect."

The actors will play the same character in different time periods, occasionally interacting with each other. The original rumors were reported by The Sun, which said the show "will incorporate dark humour as the doctor attempts to overcome self-doubts about his competence."

When MTV News spoke to Radcliffe last summer, he explained he's attracted to darker tales because he finds them much more interesting.

"I don't want to make a boring love story about two people who meet and then are happy. That's boring, and that doesn't exist," Radcliffe said. "I also do like playing slightly disenfranchised characters like Arthur is in 'The Woman in Black.' He's someone who's grieving and whose grief has put him to the edge of madness and also has sort of made him ostracize himself from society. I guess I like the dark stuff. I find it more interesting."

Hamm said producer Clelia Mountford and production company Big Talk have been "unabashedly" advocating for the series. "I share their great enthusiasm for bringing something original, dark, funny and moving to light," the actor said. "Also, I have been watching 'Bridget Jones's Diary' on infinite loop, and I think I've finally got this accent thing sorted..."

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