A young Scottish actor is set to star alongside Helen Mirren in a brand new series for HBO.

Thomas Doherty, who attended Edinburgh's Royal High School, has previously appeared in Disney Channel's The Lodge and Descendants 2.

The 23-year-old has been billed to play the role of Peter Zavadovsky in HBO's new miniseries Catherine The Great which is due to hit screens next year.

Announcing the news on Twitter, Doherty said: "Excited to announce I'm playing Peter Zavadovsky in the HBO/SKY miniseries Catherine The Great.

"Can't wait for you all to see it!

"Incredible cast and crew - and you'll see me dressed in 1760's Russian attire..."

Catherine The Great is a four-part drama about the Russian empire in the 18th century.

Oscar winner Mirren takes on the title role of Catherine, who was a Russian princess and the country's longest-serving female leader.

The show, that's currently being filmed across Russia, will follow Catherine towards the end of her reign, and all the scandal, love and conflict that went alongside it.

Together with taking on the lead role, Mirren will be producing the series.

She previously said: "I am very excited to play a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power.

"She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman, and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name."

Catherine The Great is a co-production between HBO and Sky.

A release date for the series has not yet been announced.