TV and radio presenter, Will Best, has teamed with content agency Starstruckto launch ‘Starstruck Originals’, a new division of the Starstruck Group that will focus solely on narrative and scripted content.
‘Starstruck Originals’ has been founded by Starstruck CEO James Delow and Big Brother presenter Will Best. The duo’s first project under the Starstruck Originals umbrella is coming-of-age scripted drama pilot ‘Truth Banana’, written & directed by Delow and executive produced by Best and Sarudzayi Marufu.
The 1997-set dramedy stars Kara Tointon (‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’, ‘The Teacher’), Adam Gillen (‘Les Miserables’), Adrian Scarborough (‘Gavin & Stacey’, ‘1917’, ‘The King’s Speech’) and documentary maker, Stacey Dooley, making her on-screen acting debut. The cast also includes up-and-coming talents Izzy Billingham, George Wilkins, Frances Berry, Bill Bekele and Saeran Ball.
Commenting on ‘Truth Banana’ and the launch of Starstruck Originals, James Delow says: “At Starstruck, we’ve always loved bringing human stories to life for our brand clients so it’s incredibly exciting to now be launching ‘Originals’ with Will, where we’re developing this passion further through narrative content across film, television, radio, podcasts and vertical dramas.”
Will Best, who is once again on hosting duties for ITV’s hit show ‘Big Brother’ alongside AJ Odudu, said: “I fell deeply in love with James when we first worked together over a decade ago and have been desperate to bring more scripted ideas to life with him. To be doing this now with the wildly talented team at Starstruck is incredibly exciting. We’re developing relatable, feel-good escapes for audiences who are looking to have their belief in the human spirit reaffirmed.”
Delow continued: “Love, loss and laughter will be the three pillars of our storytelling, because the everyday moments in life that move us the most feel just like cinema. ‘Truth Banana’ will place a comforting arm around the unsophisticated misfit shuffling around in all of us. Our mantra at Starstruck Originals is to make audiences think, feel and ensure that laughter comes out of their noses a bit.”
Jon Creamer
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