It is one of the most well known true disaster stories of all time and now an award winning team will be bringing the story of the Titanic to the small screen in a new ITV mini series.

The cast for the series has now been announced by the series producers with some big names in British acting said to be taking part.

Toby Jones and Geraldine Somerville, who have both appeared in the Harry Potter films, will have parts in the series which will also welcome Linus Roache and Celia Imrie.

The mini series is to be directed by Julian Fellowes, the man behind Downton Abbey and Gosford park, for which he received an Oscar for his original screenplay.

According to ITV bosses the filming of the mini series is due to begin later this month in Hungary while the four part drama will eventually hit the small screen next year, in time to coincide with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic back in 1912.

Neil Stafford Clark, the producer of the drama, said: “The series will tell the story in a way that is bold, fresh and gripping, with all the human detail that television does so well.”

He added: “We hope that it will be a fitting tribute to the events of that night.”