With a fat budget, Baddiel will develop scripts from the likes of Jonathan Ross and Angus Deayton, and some 50 other British writers, famed or otherwise, for Winchester Films.

Variety reported last week that the prod co that brought you, most recently Last Orders are paying Baddiel to find 15 treatments and select five for development, to be whittled down to three that will go into production this time next year.

The company is currently developing Scorched, a comedy with John Cleese, Woody Harrelson and Alicia Silverstone.

Winchester are about to release Jimmy Kurasami's animated A Christmas Carol, with Kate Winslet as Belle, Scrooge's lost love.

Baddiel is now developing his latest novel Time for Bed, as a screenplay for Universal.