The team behind The Comic Strip, the popular series of short spoof films shown on Channel 4 and BBC 2 in the 1980s and 1990s, are set to return later this year for a new one-off hour-long special.

Comic Strip: The Hunt For Tony Blair, which will be shot as a 1950s-style 'fugitive' film noir spoof, is to be shown on Channel 4 later this year. It has been written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens - the writers behind the original four series and various specials of The Comic Strip Presents...

Original Comic Strip regulars Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders and Robbie Coltrane will appear in the new production, although Adrian Edmondson and Dawn French do not appear to be involved this time.

The 60 minute film, which was ordered by Channel 4's Head Of Comedy Shane Allen, will follow a fictional story centred around Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is wanted for murder. Escaping from Number 10 and leaving behind his adoring wife Cherie, Tony vows to clear his name no matter what the consequences may be.

But on a foggy London night, Tony has few friends willing to harbour a wanted man and with front pages demanding his capture, Blair has no choice but to go on the run, with Inspector Hutton and his sidekick hot on his trail. The chase unfolds thanks to evidence gleaned from his 'allies' Mandelson and Brown, as well as an unlikely encounter with Margaret Thatcher. Surely Tony's an innocent man, pursued for a crime he didn't commit?

Channel 4 says: "Revenge, betrayal, the women and of course the enemies (and there are a few) all add to the melodrama in this steamy action packed thriller."

Dirk Gently and Episodes star Stephen Mangan (pictured) takes on the role of Blair, whilst Catherine Shepherd (Harry & Paul) will play Cherie.

Robbie Coltrane has signed up to be Inspector Hutton; Nigel Planer will appear as Peter Mandelson; Jennifer Saunders will play Margaret Thatcher (a la Bette Davies in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?); and Rik Mayall will be Professor Predictor.

Also joining the cast for this new one-off special will be Harry Enfield as Alastair Campbell; Inbetweeners and Rock & Chips star James Buckley as Hutton's sidekick; Still Game star Ford Kiernan as Gordon Brown; impressionist Morgana Robinson as Carol Caplin; John Sessions as Thatcher's butler; and stand-up comic Ross Noble will make a cameo as an 'old Labour tramp'.

Channel 4 boss Jay Hunt says: "Comic Strip defined comedy for a generation and it's a real coup to have the team back tackling one of the most controversial subjects of our time in a way that only they can. Tony Blair on the run, Jennifer Saunders as Margaret Thatcher, a stellar cast and hotbed of political intrigue - I can't wait to see the rushes."

Shane Allen describes the new special as: "an irresistibly hilarious script from the godfathers of modern comedy. Brilliantly conceived, we race through Blair's past as he's the wronged man (in his own head) on the run for mass murder. So many juicy parts for the big comedy hitters of The Comic Strip team alongside some newer C4 comedy talents, it promises to be a very daring and utterly irreverent romp."

The Hunt For Tony Blair will be The Comic Strip's first outing since the 2005 special Sex Actually.