A raft of top comedy stars has joined the cast of the BBC’s forthcoming sitcom The Reluctant Vampire – based on the books by Eric Morecambe.

Tom Davis, Sian Clifford, Charlie Cooper, Asim Chaudhry, Joe Wilkinson, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Bill Bailey, Ross Noble and Esther Smith will all have roles in the six-part series.

As previously announced, Am I Being Unreasonable? star Lenny Rush takes the lead role of Val, who has always felt out of place in his vampire family – and learns that might be because he is not, actually, undead.

Davies and Clifford play his parents with Gabriel Nagy playing Val’s suspicious brother, Vernon. Meanwhile, Ellie May Sheridan plays a village girl who helps him explore his human side.

Rush said: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled to be surrounded by this bunch of comedy legends. If vampires had a dream team, this would be it.’

Morecambe’s books are being adapted for the screen by Rob and Neil Gibbons, who are best known for their work with Alan Partridge. 

The comedy is being made by Boffola Pictures, where executive producer Shane Allen added: ‘This is a world of vampires, invisible ghosts, werewolves and gargoyles following in the Dead Funny footsteps of Ghosts to deliver high-spirited hilarity for all the family. 

‘The response to Neil and Rob's scripts has sent shivers up our spines with the cream of British comedy signing up.’

The show will air on BBC One, but broadcast dates have not yet been released.

Made by: Boffola Pictures
Written by: Rob Gibbons and Neil Gibbons
Script consultant:  Gary Morecambe
Executive producer: Shane Allen
Series producer: Ali Marlow
Commissioned  by: Jon Petrie, the BBC’s director of comedy commissioning.
Commissioning editors: Ben Caudell and Navi Lamba for the BBC and Yi Qiao for German channel ZDFneo