On Friday 30th of April comedian Lenny Henry will return to our screens in a new BBC One series, imaginatively titled "The Lenny Henry Show", which supposedly see's him in a "return to his stand-up roots".

We'll have to wait and see, as from the BBC press release it sounds more like a traditional sketch show with a few little stand-up segments thrown in for good measure, much like you get whenever a comedian is given their own TV show.

Aside from various special guests the series will co-star Ninia Benjamin, Tameka Empson and Jocelyn Esien, best known as BBC Three's "3 Non-Blondes", and will combine "topical stand-up, character sketches and music performance in [a] fast moving show".

A summary of Lenny's new characters, taken from the official press release, is included below.  There is no doubt that Lenny Henry has been a huge influence over the years and has left an indelible mark on British comedy.  It's this pedigree that jumps him straight into a prime-time BBC One slot, but it remains to be seen if he still has what it takes to keep with the times and hold his own against the new talent that has risen in his absence.

Character Summary (courtesy of BBC Press Office):

Ronson is a prisoner-poet who has been encouraged by the education unit at Holder Prison to try his hand at creative writing.

The Nail Bar Girls are Vivienne, who owns Kreation Nails and has aspirations to branch out to the West End; Joan, an experienced beautician who follows the lead of Tina Turner in the bid for eternal youth, and Shanissa, Vivienne's strikingly incompetent, chatty cousin.

The Big Hatted Ladies, Tiny and Daphne, attend the Pentecostal church, sit in the back row and talk about what women talk about, with added sauce.

The African Midwife, Funkazi, takes a dim view of the fuss that British women make when it comes to giving birth: "They are not contractions! Are you going to give birth to a pencil? Now keep your mouth shut."

The Chuggers: Charity Muggers, Sam and Chris, accost passers-by in the street with a tabard, a grin and a clipboard and pride themselves on the fact that they will go to any lengths to get another signature.

Pushy Mum, Mrs Omokorede, is obsessed with the desire to be the mum of a famous doctor. Her daughter Fumi is just 12 years old.

Community Radio DJ is an insanely cheerful, chatty radio presenter, working from a tiny room that overlooks Holder High Street and provides a window directly onto 'the weather', 'the travel' - "Well, there's a few cars about" - and 'what's happening in Holder'.

Daniel Lister is a young soldier posted in the Gulf who sends video diaries home to his dad Lister, who owns the corner shop.

Ragga Girl, 22-year-old Tanya, hangs around on street corners, posing in her new Moschino jacket and waiting for her friends to take her clubbing. They are yet to arrive.

Stepdad Mike is the new man in Jan's life. Jan's copping out, not giving the discipline required to keep her teenage daughter under control. She regularly sets Mike up to do the telling off, then abandons him when her daughter responds with teenage traumas.

In another new addition to the series, Lenny is joined each week by a celebrity guest in a spoof CNN sketch - Sound Bite News Digest - where Lenny and his long suffering co-host, Tamsin Greig (Black Books), provide a round-up of the world news.