Comedian Richard Herring developing historical sitcom for BBC

Ra-Ra-Rasputin, as the comedy is to be called, will take place in pre-revolutionary Russia and feature the ghost of The Mad Monk giving an unreliable account of his life, set to the clod-hopping rhythms of a mitteleuropan discotheque circa 1978.

Through the show, Herring will attempt to draw parallels between the failings of Tsarist Russia - with its hard-partying aristocracy, squeezed proletariat, corrupt newspaper bosses, even more corrupt police chiefs, greedy bankers and out of touch monarchy – and the problems of our own era.

Production company Avalon promise that Ra-Ra-Rasputin will be “unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” which sounds like an entirely plausible claim based on their description of the series.

However, Herring took to Twitter earlier to warn his followers that the show may yet fail to make it to air.

Responding to one of his followers who asked whether the announcement meant that Herring would be “back on the telly,” the comedian said: “Not yet. I have written about six sitcom pilots that have never seen the light of day. So one step at a time.”

Herring was last seen on the small screen in 2007's You Can Choose Your Friends, which was broadcast on ITV1.