C4 shows Next Week's News with Guilty Feminist's Deborah Frances-White

16 May 2018

Channel 4 today announces that Deborah Frances-White, the celebrated comedian and writer behind comedy podcast, The Guilty Feminist, will front a pilot of a new late night satirical news show.

Teaming up with Merman’s Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford for Next Week’s News (1 x 45’ non-TX pilot), Deborah will harness the topicality and influence of her critically acclaimed podcast in her own inimitable way as she plots not just to discuss the news agenda, but to take it on as well.

The studio based show will be overseen by a female-led production team and Deborah is looking to galvanise her fan base of engaged followers to speak out on a range of issues. With a combination of irreverent stunts, celebrity guests, politicians, a house band and a smattering of topical talk, Next Week’s News is bound to set the news agenda alight.

Syeda Irtizaali, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment at Channel 4 said, “Deborah Frances-White really is a voice for our times. Being huge fans of her podcast, we are delighted to have signed her to Channel 4 – absolutely no subject is out of bounds for Deborah.”    

Merman Co-founders and Executive Producers Clelia Mountford and Sharon Horgan added, “There’s no doubt in our minds that Deborah Frances-White will be as committed to making people laugh as she is to engaging them politically. We are very excited to be hanging on to her cape tail as she sets about bringing down the baddies and changing the world for the better. If any one can do it Deborah can.”

Deborah Frances-White said, “One of the great joys of The Guilty Feminist podcast has been how much throbbingly vibrant female comedy talent it’s been able to bring out into the light. Another is how engaged and activated our audience is. They are as ready to get out and playfully change the world for the better as they are to laugh. I couldn’t have found a better home than Channel 4 or a better partner than Merman to take this energy to a wider audience and create topical mischief. The world is ready not just to sigh at this week’s news but make next week’s news better. Comedy is a powerful tool. Channel 4 has always been a home but also a rollercoaster. Let’s go!’”

Next Week’s News (non-TX pilot) was commissioned for Channel 4 by Syeda Irtizaali, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment. It is a Merman production and the Executive Producers are Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford. The Series Producer is Kate Staples.

ENDS

 

About Merman

Merman was founded in 2014 by award-winning duo Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford. Since then, Merman has gathered multiple accolades the world over, including BAFTA, Emmy and RTS nominations. Merman’s recent projects include Motherland for BBC2 starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Lucy Punch and Diane Morgan, Bliss for Sky 1 starring Heather Graham and Stephen Mangan, the third series of the award-winning Catastrophe for Channel 4/Amazon created by and starring Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, Divorce by Sharon Horgan for HBO starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Hayden Church, one off special The Circuit for Channel 4 reuniting award winning duo Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, and Todd Margaret for IFC starring David Cross, Will Arnett, Sharon Horgan, Jack McBrayer and Blake Harrison, with many more in development and production. Merman have also produced multiple shorts for Sky Arts across its different strands, including the BAFTA TV nominated Morgana Robinson’s Summer: Dream Land, a season of Horror Comedy Shorts, Lolly Adefope’s Christmas, and Sky Arts Comedy Shorts in Ireland. Merman works in all areas of the worlds of entertainment and communications, not just scripting award-winning TV and film, but also creating and executing the next generation of branded entertainment. In 2017, Merman opened offices in LA and NYC, alongside a branded entertainment division.