WCXX

Brown Findlay, who played Lady Sybil in the ITV costume drama, has been cast as Mary Yellan, the main character in the 1936 novel.

Set in 1820 against the backdrop of the windswept Cornish moors, the story follows Mary's journey when she is forced to live with an aunt at the eponymous inn after the death of her mother and discovers it to be the hub of a smuggling ring.

Since leaving the show, she has also appeared in Labyrinth, the glossy Ridley Scott-produced adaptation of Kate Mosse's international best-seller.

Filming of Jamaica Inn begins this week on location in Cornwall, Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Philippa Lowthorpe, the director, said: "I love Jamaica Inn because it is an exhilarating adventure story set in a wild landscape with brilliant characters, and at its heart is Mary Yellan, a fantastic female heroine.

"I am delighted that Jessica Brown Findlay is going to play this bold and opinionated, courageous but naive young woman, whose curiosity and fiery nature get her into big trouble."