Tom Hiddleston joins Claire Danes in cast of Apple TV drama The Essex Serpent

Hiddleston will play series lead Will Ransome, the trusted leader of a small rural community, in Apple's adaptation of Sarah Perry's bestselling novel of the same name.

The Essex Serpent follows newly widowed Cora, played by Claire Danes, as she relocates from Victorian London to the Essex village of Aldwinter after being released from an abusive marriage. She becomes intrigued by a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent – a local superstition rumoured to have returned to the area.

Apple is yet to announce an official air date, however, the studio recently released a first-look image of Hiddleton as Will Ransome in the series.

Hiddleston is best known for playing Loki in a number of MCU movies and for starring in films High-Rise, War Horse and Midnight in Paris, but it was his performance in BBC One drama The Night Manager alongside Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman which earned him a Golden Globe and various other nominations.

Last month, Apple TV+ announced that Emmy Award winner Claire Danes would star in a TV adaptation of The Essex Serpent, Perry's novel set in 1893.

Official Secrets star Keira Knightly was originally tied to the project but had to pull out in October.

The Essex Serpent will air on Apple TV + but an air date is yet to be announced. To find out what to watch this week, check out our TV Guide.