David Walliams and Matt Lucas record a sketch for BBC One’s Big Night In

Little Britain is to return to TV for the first time in more than ten years as part of BBC One’s Big Night In.

David Walliams and Matt Lucas are to perform a new sketch for the three-hour live extravaganza on April 23, it has been announced today

But the BBC are keeping mum about which characters might return, saying only: ‘Details of the sketch will remain under wraps until the live show.’

The pair previously revived the show that made them famous for a Brexit-themed Radio 4 special in October last year – almost 12 years after the TV series ended.

Following that show, Walliams said: 'There will definitely be some more Little Britain coming. I can’t say when exactly but at the right time and place. It was fun coming back for radio because that’s where we started. Plus no one expected us to come back on the radio. You would have expected Comic Relief or a big live tour. The reaction was great, which was encouraging.’

The Big Night In – which aims to ‘celebrate the acts of kindness, humour and the spirit of hope and resilience that is keeping the nation going during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic’ – will be the first time Comic Relief and Children In Need have joined forces.

It was previously announced that Peter Kay will be making his TV comeback on the show, with Catherine Tate also scheduled to appear.

Funds raised during the three-hour show will be split equally between the two charities to help provide emergency support for vulnerable people during the Covid-19 lockdown, and last week Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week announced that the Treasury would match pound for pound any contributions the public make.

October’s radio special was the first time Walliams and Lucas had worked together since their airport-set comedy Come Fly With Me aired in 2010.

But Lucas has previously suggested Little Britain - which started as a radio show in 2000 before transferring to TV for three series between 2003 and 2008 – would have to change with the times, as it displayed a crueller comic streak than his current sensibilities.

Today’s news comes as Lucas was named the host of a new Channel 4 entertainment series written by Harry Hill

• The Big Night In will be on BBC One on Thursday April 23 from 7pm to 10pm, hosted by Matt Baker, Zoe Ball, Lenny Henry, Davina McCall and Paddy McGuinness 

Published: 16 Apr 2020