Shardlake star Arthur Hughes: 'It's amazing to see disabled people in strong, cool, sexy roles'

Arthur Hughes, one of Britain’s most promising young actors, knows a thing or two about baddies after playing Richard III on stage. Indeed, he was the first disabled actor to play the role at Royal Shakespeare Company.

Hughes may be the hero of the glossy new Tudor murder mystery Shardlake, which comes to Disney+ today, but he has been admiring the work of co-star Sean Bean on the show. “Sean Bean’s always been a good baddie, the handsome devil,” he laughs

Indeed, Bean has great fun chewing scenery as a menacing Thomas Cromwell but the show belongs to Hughes, who brings huge charisma and gravitas to the title character, Matthew Shardlake. It’s a far cry from the “meek” Shardlake of the books: this