Caroline Aherne, the co-writer of The Royle Family, is to re-unite with executive producer Andy Harries for a new British comedy film.

The low-budget movie, which has the working title The Fattest Man, is being developed by ITV Productions in collaboration with Harries' Left Bank Pictures. The project is earmarked for a limited UK cinema release before a broadcast on ITV.

Harries told Broadcast magazine: "It's early days. It is about the UK's fattest man – he's trying to work out if the kudos of having that title is worth sacrificing his life for. It will definitely have a splash of The Royle Family in it."