Among the new BBC comedy commissions, there’s a new show for Lenny Rush and one from McKenzie Crook.
The BBC have dropped news of a number of new comedies for us to look forward to.
Speaking at the BBC Comedy Festival in Belfast, the corporation’s head of Comedy Jon Petrie confirmed the following shows;
Ann Droid (w/t)
From Diane Morgan, this is a sitcom about a social humanoid robot designed to keep elderly people company, exploring the hilarious intersection of technology and human connection. Presumably, not a deep cut reference to Doctor Who‘s The Weakest Link segment in 2005’s ‘Bad Wolf”.
Written by Diane (Cunk) and Sarah Kendall (Dreamland), the six-part series will be made by Boffola Pictures and Witchcraft Industries.
The Reluctant Vampire
Lenny Rush stars in the coming-of-age sitcom about a young vampire who finds out he is not in fact a vampire at all, and has to live a double life.
It’s described as “A heart-warming show about finding your own identity while longing to fit in, and the tensions between family life and social life, and the struggle between conformity and kicking out against the path that’s been prescribed for you.”
Based on the books by Eric Morecambe, the show comes from writers Rob & Neil Gibbons (Alan Partridge). It’s also being made by Boffola Pictures.
Lenny Rush says:
“How lucky am I to bring to life something from the mind of comedy legend Eric Morecambe? I just love Rob and Neil’s interpretation, so many jokes and brilliant ideas. The flying might be a stretch but I’m game for anything!”
Bill’s Included
Starring Rob Brydon, Bill’s Included follows middle-aged divorcee Bill Beam who staves off financial ruin by renting his spare rooms to students.
Warm-hearted and eager but neurotic and slightly overbearing, Bill is thrilled by the youthful energy his lodgers bring – but baffled by their indifference to his laminated house rules and colour-coded cutlery. He’s torn between wanting to be part of the gang – sharing banter, keeping up with trends – and clinging to his role as responsible adult.
Produced by Baby Cow, the show comes from writers Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen.
Small Prophets (w/t)
Filmed and set in and around Manchester, Small Prophets comes from creator, writer and director Mackenzie Crook (Detectorists).
The six-part series is a comic tale of eccentric Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley) who, since his darling Clea disappeared seven years ago, has lived a very ordinary life. He eats Shreddies, works in a DIY store, visits dad Brian (Sir Michael Palin) and hopes for Clea to return.
That is just the way it is, until one day dad Brian shares an old recipe involving rainwater, horse manure and more than a little alchemy. With recipe in hand, Michael sets out (albeit with some scepticism) to create Homunculi – magical prophesying spirits that can predict the future – in the hope they have the answer to his burning question, ‘will I ever see Clea again?’.
Michael gets help from young work mate Kacey (Lauren Patel), an unlikely friendship that blossoms partly (but not wholly) through their mutual dislike of store manager Gordon (Mackenzie Crook). Their friendship adds to the frustration and intrigue of his nosy neighbours (Sophie Willan, Jon Pointing) who are obsessed with trying to find out what the hell is going on in the garden shed.
Small Prophets comes from Treasure Trove Productions and Blue House Productions.
Stuffed
Additionally, there’s an hour-long comedy film starring Guz Khan coming for Christmas.
The film follows an office worker who gets an unexpected Christmas bonus and takes his family to Lapland, only to find that he has to pay the money back. It also stars Morgana Robinson, Theo Barklem-Biggs and Sue Johnston.
Written and created by Andy Milligan, Stuffed comes from Baby Cow and Dice Roll Productions.
Leonard and Hungry Paul
Also announced was the start of shooting on Leonard and Hungry Paul. This is a six-part adaptation of best-selling novel by Rónán Hession,
The story follows two unique board-gaming friends meandering through leafy suburban life, charting a story about Judo, ancient Rome, first loves, and the expansion of the Universe.
The series stars Alex Lawther (Alien: Earth), Laurie Kynaston (The Sandman) and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls). The director is Andrew Chaplin (Alma’s Not Normal).
Leonard and Hungry Paul is a Subotica production for BBC Northern Ireland in association with BBC Comedy, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and RTÉ, and in co-production with UK independent Avalon.
We’ll keep you posted on BBC Comedy.