The Russell Howard Hour will return to Sky One for two more series.

With the fourth series still on air, Sky has confirmed that it has commissioned further runs of the format, meaning the topical comedy show will return for a Series 5 and Series 6.

The producers say: "The latest season of the topical entertainment show has attracted the biggest viewing figures since Series 1, which was the biggest new non-scripted entertainment show to land on Sky One since 2010. A huge hit online, show content has been seen over 400 million times across social media since the show's arrival."

Series 5 - which will comprise of 14 episodes - "will see Russell continue to offer his acclaimed satirical take on global news, politics and stories dominating the cultural zeitgeist, into 2021."

Russell Howard comments: "Can't wait to do the show again next year. Hopefully the news will be a bit more upbeat."

Philip Edgar-Jones from Sky says: "Russell Howard is the sharpest comic on TV and we are thrilled that he'll be restlessly and hilariously nailing our messed-up world for at least another two seasons on Sky One."

Jon Thoday from producers Avalon notes: "We're delighted to be bringing The Russell Howard Hour to Sky for two more seasons and look forward to Russell continuing to shed light on spiralling global events."

The last new episode from Series 4 of the format is on TV tonight (Thursday 17th December), on Sky One at 10pm. The episode, a Christmas special, sees the comedian taking a look back at the biggest moments this year.

Two highlights episodes featuring some of the best bits from the fourth series will be aired on Wednesday 23rd and Wednesday 30th December.