'Lifetime Bafta award' for Ullman

Tracey Ullman is a big hit in the US

British actress Tracey Ullman is to receive a lifetime achievement prize from Bafta's Los Angeles branch, according to industry reports.

Trade paper Variety said the comedienne will take home Bafta's first ever Charlie Chaplin award at the British Comedy Festival and Awards on 8 May.

Ullman began her career on British TV, with shows like Three Of A Kind.

She later created The Tracey Ullman Show for the US Fox network, winning several Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

The show famously spawned The Simpsons, which started out as short sketches either side of the commercial break.

The British Comedy Festival and Awards take place as part of Los Angeles' annual BritWeek festival.

The event, which honours British involvement in the city's cultural and business life, is the brainchild of American Idol producer and reality TV judge "nasty" Nigel Lythgoe.

Ullman's latest sketch series, State of the Union, begins its second season on HBO on Sunday.