The Luther star joins forces with Bill Bailey who plays his best friend in the programme.

The show is the latest in a line of British comedies for Sky 1 which also includes The Reluctant Landlord from Romesh Ranganathan, and Sick of It from Karl Pilkington, best known for Sky programme An Idiot Abroad.

The series of commissions is part of Sky’s effort to corner the market on daring, late night, grown up comedy programmes, to air in the 10pm slot on Sky 1.

Elba’s show, In the Long Run, follows the Easmon family who live in 1980s London. Having arrived from Sierra Leone 13 years previously, life for Walter (Elba) and Evelyn Easmon is all about quiet simplicity: working hard enough to pay the bills with a little left over to send back home. Walter and his best mate Bagpipes (Bailey) work at the local factory, while Evelyn sells makeup door-to-door around the estate.

However when Walter’s wild brother Valentine crashes into their lives, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray. While Walter and Evelyn despair at the unwelcome guest, their son Akuna is full of adoration for his ‘funcle’ who inspires in him a passion for music.

Jon Montague, Head of Comedy at Sky, and part of the team behind Sky’s run of original comedies, praised the “authentic, perceptive and deeply funny show,” adding “Alongside Jack Whitehall, Nick Frost, Rupert Grint, Karl Pilkington and Romesh Ranganathan – Idris completes a fantasy line up on Sky 1 that has made my comedy dreams come true.”