Johnny Vegas plays Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Macbeth will be set in the kitchen of a top London restaurant, while romance Much Ado About Nothing is transposed to a modern regional newsroom.

A new Andrew Davies adaptation of Bleak House, served up in twice-weekly, half hour episodes will also be shown.

A third series of Little Britain with both new and familiar characters is also scheduled.

The life of Queen Elizabeth I will come under the spotlight, with a new drama starring Anne Marie Duff in the title role of The Virgin Queen.

New factual offerings include The Story of God, which will see Professor Robert Winston look into man's religious beliefs over the ages.

Explorers

Naturalist David Attenborough will explore the spiders and bugs in Life In The Undergrowth, in which modern techniques will be used to get close to the creatures.

Dudley and Ting Tong are new Little Britain characters

Egypt will look at the work of the 19th Century explorers and archaeologists who uncovered the wonders of the ancient empire.

Another Shakespeare classic to be given a modern makeover is A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton.

Four squabbling couples find themselves having a surreal weekend at a holiday park, in which fairies and other mythical creatures make an appearance,

The Taming of The Shrew's central character Kate is an opposition MP who has to find a husband to increase her chances of being returned to power.

Marlene and Boycie from perennial comic favourite Only Fools And Horses return in a spin-off series from writer John Sullivan, Green, Green Grass.

The Worst Week Of My Life, starring Ben Miller and Alison Steadman, makes a second series comeback.