Friends star David Schwimmer lands new Channel 4 sitcom

Friends actor David Schwimmer is set to star in Morning Has Broken, a new Channel 4 comedy which will air in 2016. Schwimmer, who famously played Ross Geller on the hit sitcom for a decade until it ended in 2004, will play a US TV producer brought in to help revive a failing breakfast show.

The six-part series is written by Julia Davis and Nick Mohammed, who also star in the show. Davis will be fictional presenter Gail Sinclair, who presents "Good Morning... With Gail Sinclair" alongside Mohammed. According to Channel 4's synopsis for the show: "After eight glorious years of high ratings and winning awards, things begin to go wrong for Sinclair when the programme begins to lose viewers and tensions break out within the production team."

Schwimmer will be the second member of the Friends cast to star in a British TV show. Matt Le Blanc, who played Joey Tribbiani, achieved critical success in the BBC's Episodes, where he plays a fictionalised version of himself.

Schwimmer has kept a relatively low profile in the 11 years since Friends ended. He has appeared in cameo roles on TV (including in Episodes), voiced Melman the giraffe in the hit animation Madagascar and directed movies such as the 2007 comedy Run Fatboy Run.

Channel 4's commissioning editor, Rachel Springett, said the broadcaster was happy to land the star: "Julia is undoubtedly one of our most talented comedic writers and actresses and it's a testament to the quality of her writing that she can attract such a big star. We are thrilled to have David Schwimmer star alongside Julia in this exciting new series for the channel."

Schwimmer said: "I've been a massive fan of Julia's for years, and I'm thrilled to be able to finally work with her and Nick on this fantastic comedy."