Perkins cooks up lesbian sitcom

The Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins is coming out of the kitchen to write and star in a new sitcom.

The actress and comic, who is openly gay, will play Sara - a 40-year-old vet who is too scared to tell her parents she is a lesbian.

She said: "I think once the gnawing terror, sleepless nights and relentless self-doubt has subsided, this might well be the thing that I'm most proud of. It's been a joy to work on, and I hope that joy proves to be infectious."

Heading Out will be shown on BBC Two next year in six half-hour episodes.

Executive producer Kristian Smith said: "Heading Out is a warm, intelligent and brilliantly funny sitcom. Sue is a fantastic writer, and we're thrilled to have it on BBC Two next year. Audiences can expect a super-sized, well-baked comedy from one of our very finest."