James Norton is set to star on London's West End.

James Norton

James Norton

The 30-year-old actor - who made a name for himself playing Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in 'War and Peace' - is to take on the lead role of Peter Evans, an abusive husband who is left alone after his troubled wife Agnes leaves him, in 'Bug'.

Speaking of his character, he told the Daily Mail newspaper: "He's a vulnerable soul; a conspiracy theorist gone mad, I feel like he's a time bomb. Society can become an unhealthy pressure cooker -- and he just happens to be the first popcorn that pops."

The hunky actor will take to the stage at new venue the Found111, a temporary space created on Charing Cross Road, as he stars alongside his old university friend Kate Fleetwood - who plays female lead Agnes - in the emotional story of their destructive and bitter romance.

Meanwhile, this will be the first time James has been on the West End in four years after he last appeared in 'The Lion In Winter' at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket in 2012.

James hasn't been able to do much theatre work due to filming TV's 'Happy Valley', Grantchester' and the highly popular six-part drama 'War And Peace'.

'Bug' is directed by 'The Dazzle' director Simon Evans and runs from March 24 to May 7, 2016.