Cilla Black is to star in a BBC sitcom alongside her friend Paul O'Grady, who will play her jailbird half-brother.
The pair will record the half-hour programme Led Astray later this month. It has been written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the creators of Birds Of A Feather which is being revived by ITV next year.
Chat host and comic Paul has recently been seen displaying his acting skills in BBC One drama Holby City, playing a dying cancer patient.
Former Blind Date host Cilla, who has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of her debut in showbusiness, will play Tanya, who discovers her long-lost half-brother Arthur (O'Grady) is in prison, and puts him up after his release.
Led Astray is being made as a pilot and, if commissioned for a series, would be screened by BBC One.
Since Blind Date was axed by ITV in 2003, Cilla, 70, has appeared as a presenter on daytime series Loose Women and as a guest on Your Face Sounds Familiar and Through The Keyhole.
Paul has recently won acclaim for his documentary series For The Love Of Dogs.
