Channel 4 hungry for more Friday Night Dinner

Big Talk Productions and Popper Pictures have been commissioned to produce a fifth series of the critically-acclaimed and multi-award winning comedy, ‘Friday Night Dinner’ for Channel 4, with Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal returning as the Goodman Family, and Mark Heap as always unannounced Jim.

In Series 5, Mum and Dad get a hot tub, much to the horror of Adam and Jonny, Adam accidentally sets his car on fire, Jonny won’t stop prank-calling Adam, Dad becomes obsessed with his old, terrifying ventriloquist dummy, Mum organises her own, terrible surprise party, Jim goes on a date from beyond hell, Horrible Grandma comes back for more horribleness - and the family have dinner.

Friday Night Dinner is written and produced by Robert Popper, whose combined credits as a writer/producer/script editor include Look Around You, Peep Show, South Park, The Inbetweeners, Him & Her and The IT Crowd. He is also the author - as Robin Cooper - of the bestselling Timewaster Letters books.

Robert Popper said, “I’m thrilled to be making a fifth series, and to be taking the show in a completely new, and radical direction. Friday Night Dinner 5 will be shot entirely in black and white, with the family now living and working on a barge in the North Sea. In addition, all actors will have their voices pitch-shifted three octaves higher, with the exception of Mark Wahlberg, whose voice remains the same.”

Simon Bird said: "I'm looking forward to six more weeks of eating squirrel, ingesting so much salt that I develop chronically high blood pressure, and humouring an oddball who seems to be pathologically afraid of his own dog. I can't wait to reunite with my old friends Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter and Mark Heap. And Tom Rosenthal will be on set also."

Tom Rosenthal added: "During contract negotiations Friday Night Dinner writer Robert Popper pitched me an hilarious storyline of Jonny Goodman going travelling to North Korea and being run over by a tank so I asked for less money and now I'm here launching series five. I can promise you it was not the PR people who told me to say that it will be Fridayer and Nighter and Dinnerer than ever.

Big Talk Chief Executive Kenton Allen said: “Ever since we found Robert Popper in a Moses basket near Brent Cross Shopping Centre, we’ve always known he has got at least 5 series of award winning family comedy in him. We’re delighted that he hasn’t let us down…yet.”

Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, said: “We’re thrilled to be heading back to the Goodman’s for another helping of squirrel and high jinks. Friday Night Dinner is always a real treat and this new series promises even more awkwardness, even worse practical jokes, more ridiculous mishaps and, of course, Jim.”

Friday Night Dinner is executive produced by Kenton Allen, Chief Executive of Big Talk Productions and Caroline Leddy. Martin Dennis returns as director with Robert Popper directing one episode. 

Friday Night Dinner is one of Channel 4’s longest running sitcoms. Launching in 2011 the series went on to win Best Situation Comedy at the 2012 Rose D’Or Festival and was nominated at Best Situation Comedy and Best Female Performance in a Comedy for Tamsin Greig at the 2012 BAFTA TV Awards. Other nominations include Best New Comedy Programme, Best Sitcom, Best Comedy Actress for Tamsin Greig and Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist for Tom Rosenthal at the British Comedy Awards 2011. Best Situation Comedy at the National Television Awards 2011, and gained a Best Comedy writer nod for Robert Popper at The Royal Television Society Award 2012.

The new six part series will shoot early 2018 transmit later that year on Channel 4.

Catch up on Series 1 - 4 on All4: www.channel4.com/programmes/friday-night-dinner