Celebrity Traitors star confirmed with other British comedy legends for Lenny Rush's vampiric new BBC sitcom

Rising star Lenny Rush is set to be joined by an all-star cast in forthcoming BBC sitcom The Reluctant Vampire, which is promised to follow "in the dead funny footsteps of Ghosts".

The young actor, who broke out in Am I Being Unreasonable?, will play Val in the new series; a teenager raised in a family of vampires, who discovers by chance that he's not actually a vampire himself.

That would explain why "bloodthirsty rites of passage" have never been his strong suit.

His mother, Valeeta (Fleabag's Sian Clifford), had kept his true nature a secret from him to ensure that he wouldn't be at risk, but now they'll have to work together to keep him undetected from his highly traditional vampire dad, Victor (King Gary's Tom Davis).

In addition to Clifford and Davis, The Reluctant Vampire also reunites Rush with Ellie-May Sheridan, who he previously appeared alongside in CBBC's Dodger, and here plays a local girl whom Val befriends after learning of his humanity.

Rounding out the supporting cast are a slew of big names, including Charlie Cooper (This Country), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Joe Wilkinson (Celebrity Traitors) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts).

You can also expect to see Esther Smith (Trying), Bill Bailey (Black Books) and Ray Fearon (Not Going Out), plus screen newcomer Gabriel Nagy as Val's suspicious brother.

"Val can never let his secret be known to the locals," says the BBC synopsis. "Yet by night there's a coffin-load of expectations... Val must navigate both worlds without letting his cover be staked."

In response to the casting announcement, Rush commented: "I couldn’t be more thrilled to be surrounded by this bunch of comedy legends. If vampires had a dream team, this would be it."

The Reluctant Vampire has two big names behind the camera too, with Alan Partridge writers Neil and Rob Gibbons (of Mid Morning Matters, This Time and How Are You?, among other projects) co-creating the series.

Executive producer Shane Allen added: "This is a world of vampires, invisible ghosts, werewolves and gargoyles following in the dead funny footsteps of Ghosts to deliver high-spirited hilarity for all the family.

"The response to Neil and Rob's scripts has sent shivers up our spines with the cream of British comedy signing up."

The Reluctant Vampire will consist of six half-hour episodes, but does not yet have a confirmed premiere date.

The Reluctant Vampire is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.

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