A real-life corpse was reportedly discovered on the set of the BBC's new serial killer drama Rellik.

Filming is said to have been halted after a body was found at Cambridge Heath Park in east London.

Paterson Joseph, who plays a psychiatrist on the six-episode drama, told The Mirror: "The crew arrived to film their own dead body and the police told them they weren't able to, because they'd found a real dead body. It was bizarre, fact being stranger than fiction."

The 53-year-old actor added: "There were a lot of strange coincidences. Richard [Dormer] who plays our main character, getting impetigo and his face being covered in blotches and blemishes."

Dormer's character was scarred by an acid attack during the investigation.

"He got the same reaction as his actual character, who's been scarred in an acid attack. We found that odd," he said.

"Then there were the acid attacks which happened at the same time as we were filming ours. It's a strange show when it brings out these coincidences."