Graham Norton instrumental in helping The Musgraves

TV funnyman Graham Norton has stepped in to help a West Midlands-based band which had all their instruments stolen hours before recording an appearance on his show, to be screened today.

A Mercedes Sprinter van packed full of equipment belonging to unsigned band The Musgraves was taken from a driveway in Curborough Road, Lichfield.

After hearing about the band's plight the Irish comic took to Twitter to help find the missing equipment, worth more than £15,000.

He tweeted: "Let's turn Twitter into showbiz crimestoppers. Surely we can find the drum!"

Norton had invited the band on to his show, which will air at 10.35pm, after playing their music on his Radio Two show. Acoustic pop-folk band The Musgraves, whose members are from around Birmingham and Wolverhampton, faced a mad scramble to hire some equipment in time for their first big television gig.

Lead singer Matthew Bennett, of Wolverhampton, said: "When I heard the van had been stolen I just couldn't believe it was happening to us on that day," said the 28-year-old.

"We were in shock. It was almost like we had to put it out of our minds as we were the first unsigned band to ever be asked on the show."

Fellow guests on tonight's show are Hollywood star Reece Witherspoon, comic Reginald D Hunter and ER actress Alex Kingston.