At only 16 years old, Lenny Rush has already made his mark starring alongside Daisy May Cooper in Am I Being Unreasonable?, Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who, and Michael Sheen in Best Interests. Now, he's set to take centre stage in a new comedy drawn from the imagination of comedy legend Eric Morecambe. The Reluctant Vampire book series was among the last creative works Morecambe completed before his death in 1984.

Rush will play the title role of The Reluctant Vampire, though, as he’s about to discover, he’s not actually a vampire at all. Having inherited none of his parents’ vampiric traits, Val has always struggled to meet his father’s lofty expectations. But when he comes face to face with his own reflection, Val is forced to confront the truth: he’s a living, breathing human being.

Going against his vampire-traditionalist family members, Val starts mingling with the local humans, striving to find out more about his identity.

Lenny Rush says: “How lucky am I to bring to life something from the mind of comedy legend Eric Morecambe? I just love Rob and Neil’s interpretation, so many jokes and brilliant ideas. The flying might be a stretch but I’m game for anything!”

Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy, BBC says: "The Reluctant Vampire is exactly the kind of distinctive comedy we're passionate about at the BBC. Rob and Neil Gibbons have brilliantly adapted Eric Morecambe's work into a sharp, character-driven sitcom that delivers both big laughs and genuine emotion. With the incredibly talented Lenny Rush in the lead role, we're confident this will become one of the standout comedies of the year.”

The Reluctant Vampire doesn’t have a release date set, but will air on BBC One and iPlayer.