The Horne Section TV Show is returning for a second series on Channel 4 with Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Ronni Ancona and US comedian and bandleader Reggie Watts among those joining the cast, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

Anna Crilly and Stevie Martin will also appear in the six-part musical sitcom, currently in production, with Tim Key, John Oliver, Desiree Burch, Staged's Georgia Tennant and Camille Ucan (Lee And Dean) also returning to the show, which follows Alex Horne's efforts to host his own late-night music chat show, supposedly from his own house, with his loyal band.

Watts' appearance in the show-within-a-show is particularly striking as he took the role of Taskmaster in the ill-fated US version of Horne's hit format, which ran for only one series in 2018.

The multi-instrumentalist and beatboxer, who led James Corden's house band on The Late Late Show until the British comedian quit the late-night staple earlier this year, has previously appeared on The Horne Section Podcast and will be expected to jam with the band, comprised of Joe Auckland (trumpet and banjo), Mark Brown (saxophone and guitar), Will Collier (bass), Ben Reynolds (drums and percussion) and Ed Sheldrake (keyboards).

Horne signed off the first series, which aired from November last year, with a direct address to camera, saying: "As for The Horne Section, we're hoping to get another series. But even if we don't, we'll carry on mucking around and making music until our grandchildren tell us to stop. And then, we definitely won't stop."

Critics generally praised the hybrid, self-referential format of the show, with the Sunday Times calling it "refreshingly funny and at times quite silly ... a first-class comedy", while The Independent described it as "endlessly charming, offbeat humour ... Horne's show sparkles". The Guardian meanwhile, described it as "an utter delight", adding that "it's a riotous, good-natured sitcom that sits somewhere between Flight of the Conchords and The Goodies".

Having begun performing together at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe, the band made three series of Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section for Radio 4 and have collectively appeared together on shows such as The Last Leg, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

The Horne Section TV Show's second series will once again be directed by Barbara Wiltshire (Frankie Boyle's New World Order, The Ranganation) and produced by Matt Stronge (Spitting Image, Just A Minute) for Avalon (Taskmaster, Breeders), with Horne, James Taylor, Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner executive producing. The show was commissioned for Channel 4 by Charlie Perkins, head of comedy, and commissioning executive Joe Hullait.

Earlier this month, the line-up for Taskmaster's upcoming Series 16 was announced as Julian Clary, Lucy Beaumont, Sam Campbell, Sue Perkins and Susan Wokoma, while earlier this year BCG revealed that Horne and the Taskmaster team are also piloting the game show People Watching for Channel 4.