Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen to play Irish comedian Dave Allen in BBC drama

Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen will play controversial Irish comedian Dave Allen in a new BBC biopic.

Gillen is best known as one of the most hated characters in Game of Thrones – Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish – who was killed off in the last series.

The one-off drama, Dave Allen at Peace, will be structured in a way that mirrors Allen's original television act, in which he sat on a bar stool and reflected on life. Gillen will play the comic in this style, looking back to his earlier years and career shown through flashbacks and comedy sketches.

Dave Allen at Peace will show how the death of Allen’s father and brother impacted his comedy, as well as the famous loss of his finger. In a statement, BBC2 said the film would cover "how he survived decades of the Roman Catholic Church’s wrath, death threats from the IRA and a ban by Irish and Australian TV, only to have his television career end in controversy when he used the f-word in an innocuous joke".

Dublin-born Gillen will be joined by fellow Game of Thrones actor Conleth Hill who will play his brother. Father Ted's Tommy Tiernan will star as Allen's father, and Line of Duty’s Joanne Crawford will appear as his mother.

Dave Allen at Peace is penned by Peaky Blinders writer Stephen Russell and will begin filming in Northern Ireland this month.