Channel 4 has ordered two new sitcoms starring comedians Matt Berry and Rufus Hound and has reordered Roisin Conaty’s Gameface.
Year of the Rabbit is a new 6 X 30’ comedy starring Matt Berry (Toast of London, The IT Crowd) set in Victorian-era London. The series follows Detective Inspector Rabbit (Berry), “a hardened booze-hound who’s seen it all”, and his new, “hapless, by-the-books partner” (Freddie Fox – Cucumber, Banana, Patrade’s End, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword). While they’re investigating a local murder, the adoptive daughter (Susan Wokoma – Chewing Gum, Crazyhead, Porters) of the chief of police joins them, becoming the country’s first female officer. Together, the trio must fight crime while rubbing shoulders with “street gangs, crooked politicians, Bulgarian princes, spiritualists, music hall stars and the Elephant Man.”
It is produced by Objective Fiction with international partners IFC and all3media international. It will be directed by Ben Taylor (Catastrophe) and written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil (Veep), with additional material from Matt Berry.
Ben Farrell and Toby Stevens will executive produce for Objective Fiction, with Hannah Mackay producing. The show was commissioned for Channel 4 by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, and Jack Bayles, Commissioning Editor. IFC head of programming Pete Aronson, SVP Christine Lubrano and VP Maura Madden will oversee the series for the channel.
Year of the Rabbit is set to begin shooting later this year and is expected to air in 2019.
The 6 X 30’ comedy Home is written by and stars Rufus Jones (W1A, Inside No. 9, Camping, Hunderby), Home is billed as a “warm, touching and deftly surprising modern sitcom which gets to the very essence of home and family.” When new couple Peter (Rufus Jones) and Katy – and Katy’s son John – go on their first family holiday to France, they come back with Sami, a Syrian refugee who enters Britain illegally to claim asylum. Living in with Peter, Katy and John, Sami and his adoptive family “discover and come to terms with what a home really means.”
Home has been commissioning for Channel 4 by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, and Tanya Qureshi, Commissioning Executive. The series will be produced by Jantaculum and Channel X. Producer for Jantaculum is Adam Tandy (Inside No. 9, Damned, The League of Gentlemen, Detectorists). Executive Producers for Channel X are Alan Marke (Detectorists, Hebburn, Lunch Monkeys) and Jim Reid (Detectorists, So Awkward, Lunch Monkeys).
Channel 4 has also commissioned a second series of Roisin Conaty’s self-penned sitcom GameFace. This new 6 X 30’ series will air on Channel 4. Conaty stars as the series’ heroine, Marcella, a 30-something aspiring actress with a chaotic life and big dreams.
The 6-part series is made by Objective Fiction (Toast of London, Witless) and was commissioned by Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy for Channel 4, and Rachel Springett, Commissioning Editor. The Executive Producers are Roisin Conaty, and for Objective Fiction – Charlotte Lewis and Ben Farrell.
The first series was broadcast in the US on Hulu, as will this second series. all3media international represents GAMEFACE outside of the UK and has licensed the show to Hulu in USA, CBC in Canada and ABC in Australia – as well as in the Netherlands and pan–Africa.
Jon Creamer
Share this story
