Fremantle label Naked has secured its first commission with Sky with The Unofficial Science of Home Alone, a 1 x 90-minute feature length show set to air on Sky Max and NOW.
Comedians James Acaster, Guz Khan and Alex Brooker have all been obsessed with the classic 1990 comedy Home Alone ever since they were kids. Christmas isn’t Christmas until you’ve watched Kevin McAllister, played by Macauley Caulkin, set a series of deadly traps to deter inept burglars, “The Wet Bandits”, from breaking into his house. But there’s one big burning question that all Home Alone fans need answering; would Harry and Marv have survived those traps in real life?
The Unofficial Science of Home Alone sets out to answer that very question with Guz and James stepping into the shoes of The Wet Bandits.
Assisted by an engineer they’ll build their own version of some of the most memorable boobytraps from the film such as ‘The Blowtorch to the Head’ and ‘Swinging Paint Can’. Guz & James will discover what damage they would do in real life, figure out how science can help them survive the traps, and then use what they’ve learned to take on the stunts themselves as they attempt to catch their very own Kevin McAllister.
Whilst the experiments are underway, superfan Alex Brooker is living out his wildest dreams as he heads to the States to meet some of the cast and stuntmen involved in the film, visit some of its iconic locations and learn more about the traps and stunts that Guz and James will be attempting along the way.
Tom O’Brien, creative director of Naked says; “Home Alone is the category-killing family Christmas movie. Finding a way to celebrate, explore and experiment around it, whilst also making our first show for Sky has been a special experience. Gregor Lauder and his team have made a truly fantastic holiday treat.”
Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts and Head of Entertainment at Sky, adds: “The Unofficial Science of Home Alone is the perfect Christmas accompaniment for those avid and die-hard Home Alone fans. Naked have produced a truly nostalgic and riotous programme that is charismatically brough to life by James, Guz and Alex.”
The Unofficial Science of Home Alone was commissioned by Shirley Jones. It was co-produced by Naked and Motion Content Group. It is executive produced by Gregor Lauder for Naked and Martin Oxley for Motion. It is series produced by Ben Jessop and directed by Alex Hartman.
The show is set to air December 19th.
Pippa Considine
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