HOLLYWOOD A-Lister Benedict Cumberbatch has come to Winchester as part of a secretive shoot for a major television series.

The Sherlock star, a fan favourite across film and television, is filming a new Shakespeare adaptation in the city's Great Hall.

The ruins of Winchester Castle have been fenced off to the public during the three-week shoot, with all entrances to the ancient site barricaded until December 10.

Mr Cumberbatch is playing Richard III in The Hollow Crown, a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare’s historical plays.

It is unclear whether other stars of the series, including Dame Judi Dench, are also filming in Winchester.

Hampshire Chronicle:

Film crews outside the Great Hall

Officials remain tight-lipped about Mr Cumberbatch's involvement, with runners and cameramen on site variously telling the Chronicle that they were filming Batman, an Emmerdale Christmas special and “Harry Potter 57”.

But one crew member, who asked not to be named, confirmed that the star had been on set filming The Hollow Crown.

“I don’t know whether he’s here today but he has been doing some scenes up there,” he told the Hampshire Chronicle on Saturday.

Tourists peered around the barricades and snapped photos of the set, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star.

One curious onlooker said: “That would be really cool, if he was in there. I’m from Reading, where we don’t have these historic buildings.”

The Great Hall, built in in the 13th century, once formed part of Winchester’s Norman castle. Such historic sites are a magnet for filmmakers and this is not the first time the city has attracted Hollywood A-listers.

Hundreds of sightseers flocked to Winchester Cathedral in 2012 as Russell Crowe starred in Les Misérables, and the city has previously been the backdrop of movies such as The Da Vinci Code and Pride & Predjudice.

The final series of The Hollow Crown will air in 2016.