Stand and deliver for an example of genius casting! 

In what sounds his perfect role, comedian Noel Fielding is to play the 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin. Apple TV+ have said yes to a comedy-adventure series which promises to tell the story of the notorious robber whose crimes have become the stuff of legend.

We understand the series will follow Turpin as he attempts to evade the long arm of the law; in this case, that’s the clutches of the Thief Taker General. Turpin will ride the absurd highs and lows of his celebrity, accompanied with a gang of loveable rogues.

Irreverent… with great hair!

We’re told this will be an irreverent retelling of the legendary highway robber. To give a further hint of the show’s tone, we read that Turpin’s success will be defined by his wit, charm and pride for his beautiful hair!

Noel Fielding

Lately best known for presenting The Great British Bake Off, where he’s hosted with Matt Lucas since 2020, Fielding is also a regular on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In terms of acting and comedy roles, he starred in The Mighty Boosh with Julian Barratt in the 2000s and has popped up in shows such as Nathan Barley, The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and Upstart Crow.

Fielding is also an artist and a musician, and pops up in various pop music videos too; he’s appeared in promos for Kate Bush and Kasabian. It will be interesting to see if filming on this show is compatible with his GBBO hosting duties.

This as-yet-untitled Dick Turpin show has been created and written by Claire Downes, Stuart Lane and Ian Jarvis. As well as starring, Noel Fielding acts as script consultant alongside The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson.

Ben Palmer (Breeders) directs and he also produces along with Fielding, Kenton Allen, Victoria Grew and Matthew Justice. The show comes from Big Talk Productions, which is owned by ITV Studios.

There’s no further information as yet, but we’ll keep you posted as this one progresses.