U2, Take That & Steve Coogan for first new TFI Friday

So Chris Evans is not messing about.

The hugely-anticipated new series of TFI Friday, commissioned after a successful 'reunion' special in June, will kick off with U2, Take That and punk duo Slaves playing live, while guests will include Steve Coogan, currently promoting his autobiography Easily Distracted and 21-year-old actress Saoirse Ronan, currently starring in the Nick Hornby-written movie Brooklyn.

The June special was a similarly star-studded affair, with Liam Gallagher and Roger Daltrey duetting, while Blur and Years & Years also took to the stage.

Evans said in a statement: "It wouldn't be the first episode of TFI without one of the biggest bands in the world, if not the biggest. We're over the moon that we've got U2 on the show. They're coming in specially, flying straight from a show in Antwerp and straight back to Cologne, making the time just for us, and we certainly plan to make the most of it."

The band are no strangers to the show, appearing several times in its nineties heydey and famously singing the Salmon Rushdie-penned Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Evans recently said that this 10-episode series would be his last due to his Top Gear commitments, saying: "This is the long goodbye, I am not allowed to do any more TFI Friday."

TFI Friday returns this Friday at 8pm on Channel 4

(Image: Rex)

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