UKTV Gold has commissioned a multimillion-pound series to find the nation's funniest decade. The year-long series of When Were We Funniest? will call on the public to help discover which era of British comedy makes the nation laugh the most.

When Were We Funniest? will be made up of twelve, two hour long episodes which will feature modern-day comedians such as Martin Freeman, Jo Brand and Phill Jupitus trying to convince the public, with the help of archive clips, to vote for their favourite decade.

The show is being compared to the BBC's 2004 search for Britain's Best Sitcom due to the similar format, and in fact it is also being produced by BBC Entertainment.

Alexander Armstrong will host the final studio-based show, in which the advocates share their passion for their chosen comedy decade. Viewers will then be invited to logon to the UKTV Gold website to vote for their favourite.

The contest will be between the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s with classic comedy moments from all the obvious shows being broadcast to temp viewers that decade was the best.

"With the BBC being home to some of the best British comedy, this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase something this country does really well" says BBC Entertainment's executive producer on the show Caroline Wright.

The series starts on UKTV Gold on Thursday the 28th February, with the studio-based final to be broadcast on the 18th December.