Around 30 leading comedy names are to star in a new high-profile sketch show for ITV1.

Ronnie Corbett, Steve Coogan and Caroline Aherne, pictured, are among those appearing in The All Star Comedy Show.

Running gags will include Geordies In Space, in which Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimerplay inept astronauts, and the antics of a Norman-Wisdom obssesses criminal.

Ronni Ancona, Little Britain's David Walliams and Matt Lucas and Angus Deayton are also involved in the ambitious series, MediaGuardian reports.

The All Star Comedy Show is the network's latest attempt to shed its image as a dead zone for comedy.

It has already had some success with The Sketch Show and 2DTV, and Frank Skinner's forthcoming sitcom Shane is also expected to raise its profile

Two episodes of The All Star Comedy Show have been ordered, it was announced at the Golden Rose TV festival in Switzerland, with the hope of more to follow.