HBO Films and the BBC are to co-produce a miniseries about Saddam Hussein's time as leader of Iraq.

Variety reports that Between Two Rivers, in four hour-long parts, will tell the story of Saddam's relationships with his family and advisers between 1979 and 2003.

Yigal Naor, who played the role of Mahmoud Hamshari in Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich, will play Saddam. The Bill's Christine Stephen-Daly has been lined up to play the role of Samira, one of Saddam's wives.

The series will start filming in North Africa later this year.