EXETER College in Oxford has been turned into the latest set for a Marvel film starring actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

The 39-year-old star, best known for his role on television as fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and more recently on the stage as Hamlet, is filming for Doctor Strange.

It is due to be released in October and will follow a string of other high-profile Marvel superhero blockbusters, with others including Iron Man, Captain America and Avengers.

According to traders, film crews arrived in Turl Street at the start of the week and left earlier today.

Mr Cumberbatch's character, Doctor Stephen Strange, is a surgeon who discovers the world of magic after a horrific car accident.

He was previously spotted in November filming in Nepal, sporting a beard, and was reported to later be filming at Pinewood Studios in London. 

Student news website the Tab said a college porter has claimed the actor would be at the college today and added: "It's all very hush-hush."

Yesterday the stained-glass windows of the college chapel, which sits in the heart of the city off Broad Street, were covered up to prevent natural light from coming in.

It is the latest major role Mr Cumberbatch has taken in recent years, with his other films including The Imitation Game, 12 Years A Slave and The Hobbit trilogy.