Dawn French cast as James Corden's mother in his new series The Wrong Mans

Dawn French is to play funnyman James Corden's mother in his new comedy-thriller TV series.

The Vicar Of Dibley actress has been added to the cast of new BBC2 show The Wrong Mans, which Corden has co-written with friend Mathew Baynton.

Also appearing in the six-part series are Silent Witness star Emilia Fox and Dan Renton Skinner, who is best known to TV audiences as comic character Angelos Epithemiou.

In the tale of mistaken identity - currently being filmed - office workers Sam (Baynton) and Phil (Corden) are caught up in a criminal conspiracy after stumbling across a ringing phone at the scene of a horrific car crash.

The half-hour episodes feature a mysterious duo - Fox and Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels star Nick Moran - at the heart of the chaos.

Rebecca Front, from The Thick Of It, will play the head of MI5, which is investigating the plot.

French - whose most recent success has been in Roger & Val Have Just Got In - will play Phil's resourceful mother, Linda.

Also appearing are Sarah Solemani from BBC3's Him And Her and Benedict Wong from Sunshine and Prometheus.

Baynton is a familiar face from children's show Horrible Histories. He and Corden dreamt up The Wrong Mans when they worked together in hit comedy drama Gavin & Stacey.

Executive producer Mark Freeland said: "We are trying to do a comedy with explosions, a lot of running about, murder, extortion, friendship and love."

PA