SATC star joins ITV drama

Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon is staring in new ITV drama An Englishman in New York.

It's the follow-up to Quentin Crisp film The Naked Civil Servant.

Nixon, who played Miranda in Sex and the City, will star as performance artist and playwright Penny Arcade.

John Hurt returns as the flamboyant Quentin Crisp in the drama, which is being filmed in the Big Apple and picks up where the 1970s classic The Naked Civil Servant left off.

Nixon's character formed a close bond with Crisp in his latter years and the two created the long-running performance The Last Will and Testament of Quentin Crisp.

The ITV1 drama will also feature US actors Denis O'Hare, up-and-coming actor Jonathan Tucker and Pushing Daisies star Swoosie Kurtz.

Executive producer James Burstall said: "Choosing to shoot the film in New York was a risky decision as the drama industry works very differently in the US from the UK.

"But the huge amount of strategic planning and the leap of faith are delivering a first rate calibre of cast. There is a real buzz about the project in Manhattan as Quentin was a much loved and notorious figure - everyone has an anecdote to tell about him.

"And we've been touched by the number of friends and admirers of his (some of whom he never knew) who have wanted to help with the project in myriad different ways."

An Englishman in New York will be broadcast next year.

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