After the success of the UKTV Original franchise Murder, They Hope, Gold is bringing back characters Gemma (Sian Gibson) and Terry (Johnny Vegas) for a feature-length Christmas special, Blood Actually: A Murder, They Hope Mystery, later this year.
The pair will be spending their first Christmas together as a married couple and are once again thrown into the middle of a murderous catastrophe. The new special is co-produced by Tiger Aspect with Schnoobert Productions and is part of a double commission deal which will see a second stand-alone Murder, They Hope special (1×90″) return in 2024.
The Christmas special will see the Draper-Bremmers joined by several new famous faces including Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Robert Webb (Peep Show) Rose Ayling-Ellis (Eastenders), Samuel Anderson (Trollied) Clive Russell (Game of Thrones) and Terry Mynott (Doctors) as they investigate festive-fuelled murders that occur on their Christmas getaway.
Murder, They Hope favourites Lee Mack (Not Going Out), Sherrie Hewson (Coronation Street, Benidorm) and Sarah Hadland (Miranda) are also returning to join in the fun.
Over the course of various Santa parades, present giving events and competitive Christmas challenges things start to take a very dark turn. Gemma (Sian Gibson) tries her best to salvage their Christmas as the bodies start piling up, but can Terry (Johnny Vegas) finish preparing the Christmas dinner of his dreams and solve the murders in time?
The two new specials, which will air in 2023 and 2024 respectively, return to the original feature-length format of the Jason Cook penned originals which included standout hits Murder on the Blackpool Express, Death on the Tyne and Dial M for Middlesbrough before the show’s spin off Murder, They Hope enjoyed two series on Gold.
Jason Cook says “I am thrilled to be bringing back Gemma and Terry for Gold and even more excited that we are starting with the holy grail of television: The Christmas Special. It’s also hugely exciting that television titans Tiger Aspect are co-producing the show with my new production company Schnoobert Productions. We have crammed as much Christmas into this as possible so I hope it proves to be a (blood soaked) Christmas present that all the family will enjoy watching!”
The feature is commissioned for UKTV by Sarah Asante, commissioning editor for scripted comedy with Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning.
Gerald Casey says, “What better way to celebrate Christmas than watching the iconic duo, Gemma and Terry, do what they do best. It is such a pleasure to have Sian and Johnny back on our screens in the original event style format, and I hope Gold viewers love this festive take on Jason’s hilarious murder mystery series as much as I do.”
Sarah Asante added, “It is quite something to be bringing back this series in its original form for the next two years on Gold and I am delighted to be working alongside Tiger Aspect and Jason Cook to bring it to life. I can’t wait to see what comical chaos is next for Gemma and Terry.”
Johnny Vegas says “I’m over the moon to be back again with the crew for these Murder, They Hope specials. To be working with Sian is brilliant and each instalment just keeps getting better. There’s so much for the viewers to look forward to in this one and I’m excited to get cracking”
Sian Gibson added “So excited to be back with my old mate Johnny Vegas and a hilariously fabulous cast for another instalment of Murder, They Hope. There’s going to be more laughs, dramas and more horrific killing sprees, fun for all the family. Can’t wait to get started.”
The Mystery will air on Gold later this year. The second stand-alone special will air in 2024. This is the latest commission from UKTV’s comedy channel Gold following recently announced Alison and Larry: Billericay to Barry, airing later this year.
Pippa Considine
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