From David Frost to Tony Blair, Brian Clough to Twlight's villainous vampire Aro, we've come to associate Michael Sheen with a quite a few iconic characters, though perhaps none quite as striking as Dr William Masters, one of Showtime's Masters of Sex.

Sheen is teaming up with Mean Girls star Lizzy Caplan (yes, that's Janice lads) for a brand new and, if we may say so, rather steamy series, which comes courtesy of the US network which brought us The Tudors and Homeland. Masters of Sex tells the tale of real-life sex researchers Masters (Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Caplan). The pair are credited with some of the earliest studies into the nature of the human sexual response and, later, the diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunction and sexual disorders. Needless to say, it's definitely NSFW.

Set in the 1950's, the show boasts a rather strong cast, with the likes of Beau Bridges, Nicholas D'Agosto, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Teddy Sears and Allison Janney completing the ensemble. We're sure there'll be far more to this story than meets the eye.

Masters of Sex is set to hit US TV screens in the autumn, with an Irish broadcast date yet to be confirmed.