Comedy heavyweights Steve Coogan and Vic Reeves are teaming up for a sketch series.

Coogan, the Hove-based comedian best known for his Alan Partridge character, will work alongside Reeves on the All Star Comedy Show.

The programme will be broadcast next year on ITV1 - a change in channel for Coogan after his production company Baby Cow ended his long association with the BBC last month.

The programme will target a more mainstream audience than he and Reeves usually aim towards.

Coogan said: "There is a certain snobbishness about being too accessible. But you can like different kinds of comedy.

"I like Monty Python but I also like The Two Ronnies and that has been neglected - something that is mainstream but is genuinely funny."

Coogan said he and writing partner Henry Normal received criticism from comedy "snobs" when he launched a nationwide tour in 1998 so his new work might not be universally well-received.

He said: "When Henry and I wrote the live show we did it in a very broad way.

"It was quite immediate comedy that maybe doesn't stay with you but makes you laugh when you are there. The Guardian described it as depressingly popular."

Executives hope there will be nothing depressing about the All Star Comedy Show.

Producer Lisa Clark said: "It's not comedy dressed up - the writing, sketches and star performances should speak for themselves."

An ITV1 spokeswoman said the show would be "more accessible" than some of Coogan's and Reeves' cult programmes had been.

For Reeves, these include Shooting Stars and The Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer, both created with long-term partner Bob Mortimer.

He first found fame on Channel 4, however, with his show Vic Reeves' Big Night Out in 1990.

Coogan appeared in bit parts in the series.

The new show will be a joint venture between Baby Cow and Reeves's Pett Productions and promises big-name comedy guests.