Sky has commissioned a comedy series based on Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, Funny Girl, with Gemma Arterton in the lead role.

The new Sky comedy series is about a young woman from Blackpool finding her comic voice in the male dominated world of the 1960s sitcom. Gemma Arterton stars as Barbara Parker – “the force of nature who takes London by storm. Her journey from Blackpool beauty queen to comedy superstar and nation’s sweetheart is set during the cultural explosion of the 1960s”.

Clare-Hope Ashitey (Riviera, Top Boy), Arsher Ali (Informer, The Missing) and Alexa Davies (White House Farm, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!) will also star with more cast to be confirmed.

“It’s the height of the swinging 60s and Barbara Parker has just been crowned Miss Blackpool – but there’s got to be more to life than being a beauty queen in a seaside town, right? She wants to be… someone. The bright lights of London are calling, and our determined hero sets off to find out who that someone is.”

Gemma Arterton said: “It’s a heart-warming story of an ambitious woman with a dream of making people laugh – it’s going to be something special. It’s an honour to be working with such an incredible team and be reunited with my first ever director, Oliver Parker.”

Director of Comedy for Sky Studios, Jon Mountague, said: “With Morwenna Banks’ brilliant script, this was the perfect opportunity to bring a contemporary take on this inspiring story. Funny, smart and revealing – exactly what a Sky Original comedy should be, and we can’t wait”

The series was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content at Sky, Jon Mountague, Director of Comedy at Sky Studios and Tilusha Ghelani, Commissioning Editor for Comedy at Sky Studios. This comedy drama is produced by Potboiler and Rebel Park Productions, in association with Sky Studios. Executive Produced by Nick Hornby, Gemma Arterton, Morwenna Banks, Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan, Jessica Parker and Jessica Malik. The series is written by multi-award-winning writer Morwenna Banks and directed by BAFTA nominee Oliver Parker. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will handle international sales of the series on behalf of Sky Studios.