Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are to reunite as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

The comedy duo hope to repeat the success they had as Jeeves and Wooster in the new ITV1 film.

Fry, who will play the Baker Street detective, is a big fan of the books ­ even choosing Holmes as his specialist subject in a recent celebrity edition of Mastermind.

It has not yet been revealed which Conan Doyle story will be adapted, but the budget has been set at £2million.

ITV1 drama chief Nick Elliot told the Daily Mirror: "Stephen is absolutely passionate about Sherlock Holmes and Hugh will make a superb Watson."

The film will be screened next year, and it could be the start of a series.

Fry and Laurie recently appeared together for the first time in about a decade in ITV's comedy-drama Fortysomething.