David Walliams takes on Sport Relief Thames swim challenge

Comedian David Walliams is set to swim the length of the Thames in just eight days for Sport Relief.

The Little Britain star will swim the 140 miles from Lechlade in Gloucestershire to Big Ben in London, starting on 5 September.

The bid is part of the Big Splash campaign to get the nation swimming.

Walliams, 40, will pass through several major towns en route, including Oxford, Reading, Henley, Maidenhead, Windsor, Kingston and Richmond.

In 2006, Walliams completed a swim across the English Channel, raising £1m for Sport Relief. He later received a special award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year for completing the 21-mile distance.

He swam the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco for Sport Relief in 2008, and last year cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End.

In his latest challenge the comedian is again raising money for the BBC-backed charity, which helps vulnerable people in the UK and in some of the world's poorest countries.

"Most people in the UK know the Thames, and most people think the idea of swimming in it is horrifying," Walliams said of the challenge.

"And it is. It'll be relentless. It's a huge distance so I'll need all the support I can get."

To support Walliams visit his pages on the Sport Relief website.