Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Zoe Gardner star in the show, based on their Edinburgh Fringe hits of 2004 and 2005 and titled The Odditorium.

They play sisters Chlamydia and Calamine Lloyd Haemorrhage, ‘ex-Siamese performing freak twins’, who introduce a parade of music hall guests.

The half-hour pilot, written by the duo and Hannah Mackay, will be recorded in Teddington Studios next Tuesday. (See our ‘a href=' https://www.chortle.co.uk/about/2006/06/27/3530/free_tickets'>free tickets page to be in the audience)

It will be produced by Vanessa Haynes for Celador Productions, and was ordered by ITV2 Controller, Zai Bennett.

Period comedy currently seems to be in vogue. Sketch group The Penny Dreadfuls have just recorded a radio version of their Victorin sketch comedy show Aeneas Faversham, for BBC7; Peep Show writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong recently created a Victorian-era pilot called Ladies And Gentlemen for Channel 4; and sketch group The Ornate Johnsons recently produced an Edwardian show for BBC Four.