He’s known for his surreal sense of humour and comedy partnership with Bob Mortimer, but now the world is set to see a whole new side to comedian Vic Reeves.

The 63-year-old star is joining Sky Arts to combine two of his biggest passions in life – painting and bird watching.

Painting Birds With Jim And Nancy Moir will feature the artist, comedian and musician, who will be working under his birth name Jim Moir.

The six-part series will see him grab his paintbrushes, don his binoculars and set out across the UK to watch and paint birds.

His wife Nancy will join him in the comedic ornithological series, as they explore some of Britain’s best beauty spots, joined along the way by a few famous friends.

During each episode they will be tasked with creating an original piece of bird art celebrating the unique species native to that region over the course of a weekend.

Accompanied in each episode by local twitchers, artists and conservation experts, Jim and Nancy will be guided through forest and fen as they venture through wild countryside and local bird sanctuaries to gather inspiration.

They’ll spend meditative weekends sketching and painting their feathery subjects, tackling everything from grouse to goshawks and bitterns to bearded tits.

Jim Moir said he was “very excited” to be part of the show.

He said: “It incorporates my two main passions, art and birds, and to be presenting it with my best friend and wife (one person) is an undiluted joy and delight.”

Nancy Moir commented: “I’m thrilled to be part of Painting Birds With Jim And Nancy Moir. I’ve been birdwatching for the past 10 years, and it’s become a huge passion of mine, so I’m looking forward to starting filming with Jim.”

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Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, said: “This is just the kind of tweet we like at Sky Arts, combining the joy of great art courtesy of Jim’s beautiful bird paintings and the glories of the British countryside and wildlife.

“We know our audiences love to uncover the processes that bring art to life and Jim will be unpacking the craft in his own unique way.”

The series goes into production in September and will air on Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW in 2023.