David Walliams is encouraging Britain to get back in the water this summer as he takes on his first team swimming challenge.

Walliams will once again don his wetsuit to lead a team in the British Gas SwimBritain open water event at The Great Lake at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, on the 1st September.

British Gas SwimBritain is a new programme which aims to encourage half a million more people to swim regularly by 2015, consisting of a swimming relay challenge for teams of four with each team member swimming a distance of 1000m. The event is open to swimmers of all abilities and will take place at ten pools around the country, and one open water venue, between 31st August and 29th September.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge has already completed numerous swimming challenges, including his heroic 140 mile swim down the River Thames for Sport Relief in September 2011. This time it will be ‘Team Walliams’ in the spotlight, with three lucky members of the public making up the Little Britain star’s swimming quartet.

Walliams, who was joined by Olympic swimming silver medallist Keri-anne Payne at the SwimBritain launch, said:

“Doing a swim challenge as a team will be a great motivation and a new experience for me, so I’m really excited to be taking part in my first team swim at the British Gas SwimBritain challenge.

“Swimming is refreshing, relaxing and a great escape from everyday life, as well as being good exercise, so I’m encouraging as many people as possible to find their nearest event, team up and give it a go.”

Payne, the current open water swimming world champion, will also join Walliams in the water to lead her own team at Blenheim Palace.

Payne said: “There are ten SwimBritain pool events on offer around the country, as well as an open water event for the more adventurous swimmer, so everyone can set themselves a swimming goal this summer whatever their fitness level.

“A fast front crawl burns as many calories as an 8 mile per hour run, so swimming is a really great way to shape up and get healthy.”

With research by SwimBritain earlier this year revealing that nearly a quarter of Brits spend half their working week sitting down, British Gas is launching the SwimBritain programme to encourage the nation to get back in the water and get 500,000 more people swimming by 2015.

British Gas Commercial Director, Will Orr said: “We’re very excited that David Walliams will be joining us to take part in British Gas SwimBritain. His remarkable achievements in the water have shown that swimming challenges are not just for elite athletes.

“British Gas has been working in partnership with British Swimming since 2009 and is committed to getting more people swimming regularly. With the launch of SwimBritain we hope to inspire people of all abilities to get in the water and have some fun whilst keeping fit at the same time.”