West Bromwich's Frank Skinner to film documentary about Muhammad Ali

The comedian has been seen filming at his boxing heroes training camp in Pennsylvania in recent months as preparation for the show has been ongoing.

It is one of several locations Skinner visited for the one-off, hour-long programme, which will air on BBC One.

In Ali’s hometown of Louisville Kentucky he meets the next-door neighbour who witnessed the teenage boxer’s single-minded dedication to his craft.

He meets Ali’s younger brother Rahaman, a key figure in the boxer’s entourage and his closest confidante.

He also meets Ali’s wife Khalilah, who stood alongside her husband when he was banned from boxing for refusing to fight in Vietnam.

Skinner also met the bare-knuckle boxer from an Oxfordshire council estate who became one of Ali’s dearest friends, and the actor who played alongside Ali in a little-known musical on Broadway.

A BBC statement said: "This documentary special will be more than a profile piece on the greatest sporting hero of the 20th century, it’s also a very personal journey filled with Frank’s own expertise and insight.’

The comic himself said: "I loved Ali since I was a child. I loved the warrior, the entertainer, the craziness that surrounded him.

"I met him, as a trembling fanboy, a few times in the 1990s, but I only had the courage to ask for an autograph and a couple of photos.

"This project gave me the chance to question his family, friends and his boxing inner-circle and explore the truth about the man.’

The broadcast date for the show has not yet been announced but it may be close to the first anniversary of his death on June 3 last year.

The special will be made by David Walliams and Miranda Hart’s production company King Bert, and is produced and directed by Mary Crisp.