The one-off film will star Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) in the double roles of John Standing and Johnny Spence, alongside Eileen Atkins (Upstairs Downstairs) as his mother Lady Spence.

The official synopsis reads: “Set in 1952, as England prepares for the coronation, The Scapegoat tells the story of two very different men, John Standing and Johnny Spence, who have one thing in common – a face. Almost exact replicas of each other they meet by chance in a station bar, each at a crossroads in their life, one setting out on a walking tour after losing his job as a teacher; the other avoiding home after a disastrous business venture.

“The charming and charismatic Johnny wines and dines his new acquaintance but when John wakes the next morning with a hangover he is alone and a chauffeur is standing outside his room, waiting to take him ‘home’. Despite his protests he finds himself sucked irresistibly into another man’s life.”

Written and directed by Charles Sturridge (The Road to Coronation Street), the 100-minute film begins filming in London next month.

Sturridge commented: “It is a daunting challenge to follow in the footsteps of Hitchcock and Roeg in adapting this thrilling and provocative writer for the screen. I loved the story from the moment I first read it and the extraordinary mix of brilliant characters surrounding these mirror image men.”

The Scapegoat was previously adapted as a film in 1958, starring Alec Guinness and Bette Davis.