BBC Moonflower Murders star Tim McMullan's rare health condition that affects his eyes

Tim McMullan is back on our screens tonight in the eageryly anticipated detective series Moonflower Murders, the sequel to Magpie Murders. Have-a-go detective Susan Ryeland was a hit in the BBC One series based on the Anthony Horowitz novel, and now she's back but this time living in Crete.

The new series sees Susan embroiled in another complex murder case at a British hotel. Tim returns as Atticus Pünd, a role he was signed to after late actor Timothy Spall had to pull out of the production due to scheduling issues.

Known for his work on stage and screen, viewers might also recognise him from The Fifth Element and The Queen. But what do we know about his life away from the screen?

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The actor is quite private, but his IMDB profile reveals his distinctive eye appearance is due to a rare genetic condition he was born with. Known as Blepharophimosis syndrome, also known as BPES, it affects how the eyelids develop.

According to Cleveland Clinic, it is categorised by narrow eye openings, droopy eyelids and folds of skin on the inner part of the eyes going from the bottom to the upper corner. The condition affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 births across the world.

Those who are born with the condition can need surgery. Speaking about his role as Atticus Pünd, he previously said: "He's the main reason I wanted to do it, he's such a beguiling character.

"He's this mixture of super intelligence, a computer-like brain to decode and unravel from mystery that everyone else misses, but at the same time he's got this heart, he's very compassionate for why people do things. He doesn't judge people, he just tries to undertsand why they behave in the way they do.

"There's a little bit of sadness about him too. He's had a difficult life, he's been in a Nazi concentration camp and hes survived that, and then he's come as a refugee to England and worked as a private detective, so he's definitely seen the dark soul of man."