So first Lindsay Lohan essentially desecrates the memory of Liz Taylor, and then BBC go and sign Helena Bonham-Carter to put her own quirky spin on Cleopatra herself in their very own version of Burton and Taylor. Liz must be rolling in her grave.

At least this time the biopic is coming from the Beeb, and they've actually signed up proper talent like Bonham-Carter and The Wire star Dominic West to play Liz and Dick. PLUS it's a one off 90 minute special so they won't be dragging it out needlessly. And it's on BBC Four. Things are generally better when they're on BBC Four.

While Lindsay's ill fated effort was set around the time of Cleopatra, the Beeb's more serious offering will be focussing on Burton and Taylor's disastrous on stage reunion for the 1983 revival of Noel Coward's stage play 'Private Lives'.

BBC controller of Drama Ben Stephenson said the BBC want to apply " the Danny Boyle vision to our work - a bold, adventurous, authorial approach that exports because of its Britishness not despite it." Here's hoping that doesn't mean we'll be spying Helena emerging from a toilet ala Trainspotting...