Sir Lenny Henry and Meera Syal among BBC Christmas line-up

Wolverhampton's Syal will return in the show which made her famous, comedy classic Goodness Gracious Me, which will be back on our screens to mark its 20th anniversary. Meanwhile Sir Lenny will narrate Zog, an animated adaptation of the much-loved children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson.

The shows are part of a stellar line-up on the Beeb, which will also see the return of Idris Elba as Luther, John Malkovic take on the role of Poirot, alongside Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, while it wouldn't be the BBC at Christmas without Doctor Who.

The Time Lord will not be in the usual Christmas Day slot this time, instead being shown, somewhat controversially, on New Year's Day, as Jodie Whittaker appears in the role for a Christmas special for the first time.

Long-time festive favourites Mrs Brown's Boys, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing will return for another year. There will, of course, be drama in Walford with another explosive Christmas in store for EastEnders.

A star-studded cast will appear in Watership Down, featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Nicolas Hoult, John Boyega, Olivia Coleman, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, and Peter Capaldi. A six-part version of Les Misérables will also launch, featuring The Wire star Dominic West, David Oyelowo and Lily Collins.

There will also be episodes of Still Open All Hours, Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show and Hold the Sunset.

Special live episodes of Lee Mack’s Not Going Out and Stephen Merchant’s new comedy Click & Collect will also be arriving, while there will be a special treat for older viewers with two previously lost episodes of Morecambe and Wise to be be broadcast after being discovered in a cinema in Sierra Leone. The episodes of the iconic due were lost for 50 years due to the corporation’s 1960s policy of wiping tapes after broadcast.

Both 30-minute episodes have been returned to colour. They featured in the first series when the comedy duo returned to the BBC after a stint with a commercial broadcaster, and one includes an appearance by Michael Aspel.

But two of the region's - as well as the nation's - best-loved comedians will be part of the BBC's Christmas line-up in the shape of Sir Lenny Henry and Meera Syal.

The cult classic, Goodness Gracious Me, will make a welcome return after years away from our screens as stars appear alongside fans of the show for a one-off special.

Sir Lenny's is one of the most recognisable voices on TV and he will be lending his dulcet tones to an animated version of the children's favourite Zog, alongside Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington.

The Dudley comic narrates the story, while Harrington, better known to many as Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, plays the Knight Sir Gadabout who seeks to rescue the Princess.

American comedian Tracey Ullman is Madame Dragon, Zog’s teacher, while W1A star Hugh Skinner plays Zog himself.

Fans of hit BBC series Luther are also in for a treat with the show returning for the long-awaited fifth series. Viewers have been waiting since 2015 for the return of the series which brought Idris Elba, already a Hollywood star, to a wider UK audience and led to him being touted as the next James Bond.

There are more recognisable faces as the BBC delivers a fresh take on the Agatha Christie classic Poirot. Taking on the role of the famous sleuth will be John Malkovic in the ABC Murders, while Rupert Grint, better known to many as Harry Potter's best friend Ron Weasley also appears.