According to Brooklyn Vegan, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing the role of an ‘80s singer strikingly similar to The Smiths frontman Morrissey this Sunday, April 18. 

The title of the episode is “Panic on the Streets of Springfield,” paying homage to The Smiths’ track “Panic.” The official episode description characterizes the Morrissey-like character as “a depressed British singer from the 1980s.”

The artist released his 13th studio album, titled “I Am Not a Dog on a Chain,” in March of 2020 via BMG. 

In November of 2020, Morrissey was dropped from BMG, who has a new executive that wants to push for diversity within their artist roster. Morrissey responded with a statement where he said, “My three albums with BMG have been the best of my career, and I stand by them till death.”

A studio cover of T Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer,” by Morrissey and David Bowie was released in November of 2020 as a single, originally recorded by the duo in 1991.

The performer sparked controversy in 2019, when he wore a far-right political group pin on his jacket for a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He later referred to Halal Certifiers as “Supporters of ISIS.” 

Morrissey went on to play a show at the SSE Arena in London during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite most other shows and tours being canceled.

He also ran into conflict in 2017 when he defended accused sexual predators Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. The artist claimed that Spacey’s alleged victim must have “had an inkling of what might possibly happen.”