Little Britain actor David Walliams will be playing comic actor Frankie Howerd in a new dramatisation of his life. The star is a “massive fan” of the Carry On actor and once managed to get his autograph when he was a child.

The BBC is rumoured to be filming a docu-drama in Cross as well as London, America and Malta, where Frankie and his lover Dennis Heymer, who still lives in the house in Somerset, had a holiday home.

To get a feel for the role, David Walliams will be visiting the house and meeting with Dennis and Frankie’s former nurse Chris Byrne.

Chris said: “I am so excited about meeting David.

“This is a great opportunity for Dennis to really tell his side of the story. There were rumours Frankie treated him like a skivvy but they were lovers for 40 years.

“The BBC interviewed Dennis for 29 hours, which really took a lot out of him.”