UKTV’s Gold has ordered a follow up to comedy drama Murder on the Blackpool Express with Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson’s characters Terry and Gemma reunited for new show Death on the Tyne (1×120’).
The feature-length murder mystery, produced by Shiny Button Productions, is set on a ferry and also stars Sue Johnston (The Royle Family), Felicity Montagu (Bridget Jones’s Diary, I’m Alan Partridge), Doon Mackichan (Smack the Pony, Two Doors Down), Georgie Glen (Calendar Girls, Damned), Don Gilet (EastEnders), Tony Gardner (Stella, Fresh Meat), James Fleet (Vicar of Dibley), Taj Atwal (Stella, In the Club), David Mumeni (The Windsors, Fearless) and the return of Sheila Reid (Benidorm) as Mildred.
Terry (Johnny Vegas) and Gemma (Sian Gibson) promise to take Mildred (Sheila Reid) and her care home friends, including Hilda (Georgie Glen) and Colleen (Sue Johnston) on an Amsterdam cruise adventure across the Tyne and “It’s not long before things start to go awry in the most puzzling mystery the Tyne has ever seen.”
Death on the Tyne is written by Jason Cook (Hebburn, Murder on the Blackpool Express), directed by Ed Bye (French and Saunders, Kevin & Perry Go Large, Red Dwarf, Bottom), with Catherine Gosling Fuller (Derry Girls) as series producer, Mollie Freedman-Berthoud (Murder on the Blackpool Express) as producer, and executive produced by Andy Brereton (Murder in Successville) for Shiny Button. The UKTV Original was ordered by director of commissioning Richard Watsham and Steve North, genre general manager for comedy and entertainment for Gold. Pete Thornton is executive producer for UKTV.
Pete Thornton, senior commissioning editor said: “It’s a real joy to be taking to the high seas (or at least the Tyne Estuary) with the hugely talented team at Shiny Button (this time with award winning director Ed Bye at the helm). Jason Cook has come up with a jewel of a script, toiling through the long winter months to create another complex, properly funny and hugely satisfying feature length murder mystery – packed with characters to die for, or indeed be killed by.”
Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold said: “We’re delighted to be reuniting Sian and Johnny for another hilarious and thrilling whodunnit, alongside an equally stellar cast. Murder on the Blackpool Express was overwhelmingly loved by the Gold viewers and these shows embody our commitment to new, exciting and original comedy alongside our familiar favourites.”
Andy Brereton, Exec Producer for Shiny Button said: “I cannot wait for viewers to see Johnny, Sian and Shelia back to their sleuthing best, in a cracking new mystery by Jason Cook. I like to think that if she were still alive this would be Agatha Christie’s favourite show, after Taskmaster”.
Death on the Tyne will air later this year on Gold.
Staff Reporter
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