British actor Dominic West has been studying Lindsay Lohan's panned Elizabeth Taylor mini-series as he prepares to play Richard Burton in a new U.K. Tv drama.

West has signed up to star opposite Helena Bonham Carter in an upcoming British series called Burton and Taylor, and admits he has been watching Lohan's critically-mauled 2012 film Liz & DICk in preparation.

He tells Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, "I've watched clips on (video sharing website) YouTube. I need to watch the whole thing."

West jokes of the U.S. mini-series, which featured Grant Bowler as Burton, "You could say they are a hard act to follow."

Bbc drama Burton and Taylor will air in the U.K. later this year (13).