Costello, Sir Elton plan music TV show

Sir Elton John is working on a wide-ranging series about music, to be fronted by Elvis Costello, for Channel 4.

The show will include interviews with performers, panel discussions and songwriting features as well as performances from Costello and others.

Thirteen instalments of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... are being made to air this year with Sir Elton as an executive producer. The show is billed as "a forum for in-depth discussion and performance with the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time".

Sir Elton said: "Elvis Costello is the foremost expert on popular music. I thought it would be sensational to use his knowledge and intelligence to explore the artistry of musicians and other fascinating people involved in making great music, as well as true music aficionados."

Costello added of the project: "I'm not interested in extracting some dark secret. I'd rather hear about a bright secret, a deep love or a curiosity that might be otherwise obscured by fame.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to talk in complete thoughts about music, movies, art or even vaudeville, then frame it with unique and illustrative performances."

Spectacle is being made for CTV in Canada and Sundance Channel in the US as well as Channel 4 and some content will be distributed on the internet, with a portion of profits going to AIDS charity Global Fund.