Silence is golden for Lucas

Lucas will star in the dialogue-free six-part series Pompidou to be screened next year about an elderly aristocrat who falls on hard times.

He and Walliams have performed together for many years, including the hugely successful Little Britain. But they went their separate ways after one series of Come Fly With Me, which was filmed at Robin Hood Airport, near Doncaster.

Lucas said he had long been a fan of the “visual comedy” of veteran stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy.

The new BBC1 programme comes after the success of last year’s Oscar hit The Artist about the golden age of pre-talkie movies.