Sean Bean will bring Dr Who into the 21st century by playing the time traveller in a £250million British film version of the classic TV series.

The 41-year-old - best known as the star of Sharpe and Bravo Two Zero - becomes the tenth actor in the title role and the highest paid, with a deal worth about £3million.

Actress Tara Fitzgerald, plays the Time Lord's assistant. Shooting will begin at Pinewood Studios, Bucks, in the spring.

A source said: "The powers that be are delighted to have got Bean. They wanted a British actor and a big name and he's both.

"To have got Tara as well is the icing on the cake."

Dr Who is the first foray into big budget films by the BBC, which owns the rights.

It ran on TV from 1963 to 1989, with film versions in 1965 and 1966. Another film, with Paul McGann, flopped in 1996.

But the source added: "There's massive interest recently in sci-fi scripts."