Dubliner Andrew Scott has been cast in Gay Brittania, a major season of programming about the history of LGBT Britain

The season, marking the 50th anniversary of The Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of 21, will feature both dramas and documentaries.

The details of Sherlock and Handsome Devil star role have not yet been revealed.

Among the dramas to be aired are Against The Law, in which Daniel Mays will play journalist Peter Wildeblood who was found guilty of homosexuality in the 1950s, and Patrick Gale’s Man In An Orange Shirt, starring Vanessa Redgrave.

Gay Brittania will also feature documentaries such as Is It Safe To Be Gay In The UK?, exploring a rise in attacks on LGBT people in the UK and What Gay Did For Art, which celebrates the contribution lesbian and gay people have made to culture.

Patrick Holland, controller of BBC Two, described the season as, “a powerful examination of how far we have come whilst also exploring how much further we have to travel.”

Andrew Scott’s Sherlock co-star Mark Gatiss is set to appear in a programme called Queers, which will feature his and other writers’ response to the anniversary of the 1967 Act.

The season will air across BBC’s channels this July.