Benedict Cumberbatch's warning about dark new Netflix show

Benedict Cumberbatch has pre-warned fans about the content of his upcoming Netflix series, Eric.

The 47-year-old actor is well known for playing good guys on screen - having won over fans of TV with his role in the BBC detective series Sherlock and for his big screen Marvel superhero role as Doctor Strange.

However, fans will see a different side to Benedict's acting in the upcoming miniseries Eric where he portrays a father desperately searching for his lost son.

Warning that his puppeteer character, Vincent, might not be so likeable, Benedict told the BBC, "I don't want to play people who get the green thumbs up or red thumbs down. I think we all live in a grey area.

"There's good and bad in all of us. That's what makes us human. And this is an extreme, admittedly, but there's a huge deal of pain behind the pain Vincent causes."

However, the series - which co-stars Transparent actress Gaby Hoffmann as his on-screen wife - is not all doom and gloom.

Benedict explained that he had to dress up as a fluffy, seven foot monster for some scenes and he was left struggling to keep a straight face.

He said, "It was one of the most ludicrous things I've ever done - and I've done a few. It was fun though - and painfully funny."

The six-part drama will be available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 30 May.