Gavin and Stacey star to play comic Hattie Jacques

The film will look at the actress's racy love life which saw her move her much younger lover into the home she shared with her husband, Dad's Army star John Le Mesurier.

Hattie – to be screened by BBC4 later this year – will examine her affair, which is a far cry from many of the more homely characters she played through much of her career.

Jacques - who was also known for a long on-screen partnership with Eric Sykes in his sitcom Sykes – died in 1980 from a heart attack, with a final TV appearance that year in an Asda advert.

In her 14 Carry On classics, she was usually cast as matronly characters.

Jones – best known for her role as Nessa in Gavin and Stacey, as well as BBC1's adaptation of Tess Of The D'Urbervilles – said: "Hattie Jacques is a comedy heroine of mine and I'm thrilled to have been asked to play her."