Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong - the writers behind comedies including Peep Show, The Old Guys and Four Lions - are creating a new university-based comedy drama for Channel 4 dubbed "The Young Ones meets This Life".

Based in the city of Manchester, Fresh Meat will follow the lives of six students sharing a house who are all starting out at university in the city. Channel 4 have initially ordered eight 45 minute episodes from producers. The programme will be made by Objective Productions, the company behind Peep Show; alongside Lime Pictures, who are best known for producing Channel 4's teen soap Hollyoaks.

The comedy drama is set to star stand-up comedian Jack Whitehall (pictured) and Inbetweeners actor Joe Thomas. Also signed up as regulars are Greg McHugh (Gary: Tank Commander), Kimberley Nixon (Cranford), Charlotte Ritchie from British classical girl band No Angels, and Zawe Ashton (St Trinian's 2). Tony Gardner - best known as café owner Michael from Lead Balloon - is also set to appear.

Whitehall will play a public school boy with an inflated sense of entitlement, whilst Joe Thomas takes on the role of a charming, loveable and crushingly insecure student. Other characters include a socially awkward know-it-all, an overly enthusiastic fresher, and a student who is desperate to be cool and terrified of being boring.

The series is currently being filmed on the production stages of Manchester's Sharp Project Facility and on location around the city, and when finished later in the year, Fresh Meat will air in a post-watershed slot on Channel 4.

Channel 4's Camilla Campbell says: "I am delighted to be able to announce our exciting cast of the best of today's talent for a brand-new comedy drama series for Channel 4. Sam and Jesse are bringing their customary incisive comedy to the drama output, and the result is a hilarious and painfully truthful series about being a student."

Fresh Meat is not the first university-set comedy. Channel 4 recently aired Campus, a sitcom created by the team behind Green Wing; whilst the BBC produced Off The Hook, a sitcom following a group of freshers.

Jack Whitehall has also been working on piloting a new Channel 4 comedy entertainment format called Hit The Road Jack, which sees him perform stand-up in a different city each week in a 'pop-up studio'. Meanwhile Joe Thomas is set to appear alongside Simon Bird and Jonny Sweet in a Channel 4 sitcom pilot called Chickens, which is about three young men who avoid combat in the First World War.