BBC Four celebrates comic strips

The first issue of The Beano was published by DC Thomson in 1938

Classic comics such as The Beano, The Dandy and Viz are to be celebrated in a three-part series on BBC Four.

Writer and satirist Armando Iannucci will narrate Comics Britannia, which is to feature some of the illustrators who wrote and drew the original strips.

And special graphics will bring some of the two-dimensional characters to life.

The series is part of a comics season, which also sees Jonathan Ross tracking down reclusive cartoonist Steve Ditko, one of the creators of Spider-Man.

And BBC Four will be showing episodes of Batman, starring Adam West.

Comic strip stars Dennis the Menace, Roy of the Rovers and the Bash Street Kids will receive special treatment using technology which "allows the audience literally to step inside the comics", the channel said.

The season will be broadcast in September.