Will.i.am will receive a grilling by Joanna Lumley in a new BBC One documentary.

The somewhat unlikely team up is part of an hour-long special which sees the British actress travel to the music man's home in Los Angeles.

Lumley also met his family and checked out his childhood home. Speaking in a statement about the programme, the actress said:

"I have long been fascinated by will.i.am and leapt at the chance of meeting him and finding out more about his extraordinary life and achievements. He was everything I had hoped he would be, and more: charming, articulate, a whirlwind of ambition and talent, as sweet as pie and as dandy as a peacock."

BBC One controller Charlotte Moore meanwhile said: "In this very special documentary for BBC One, Joanna Lumley spends time with the intriguing will.i.am, hanging out with his friends and family and delving into his background to find out just what motivates this extraordinarily driven individual, who seems more than anybody else to define the pace, energy and creativity of the time in which we live."

The documentary is slated to be aired in the UK early next year.