With the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict last week, the Vatican is naturally busy sorting out who the next bloke to wear the big pointy hat will be. It therefore seems almost too coincidental a time for US cable channel Showtime to announce that Kyle Chandler, Matthew Goode and Sebastian Koch are all joining Ridley Scott’s new series set behind the scenes of the Catholic Church’s seat of power.

The Vatican will focus on enigmatic, progressive Cardinal Thomas Duffy (Chandler), who is usually to be found as Archbishop of New York.

Goode, about to be back on cinema screens in Stoker, is on as Papal Secretary Bernard Koch, who is not to be confused with Sebastian Koch, who is part of the A Good Day To Die Hard cast, and who's taking on a darker role, that of Cardinal Marco Malerba. He’s the Vatican’s Secretary Of State, but also known as the “dark prince of the Curia.”

Scott, who usually tends to just produce TV shows these days, it stepping up to direct the pilot for the thriller show, created by Donnie Brasco writer Paul Attansio, who also spent years working on the small screen behind the scenes of House. Expect very few decent roles for women and a lot of brocade and fresco work if this goes to series.