Comedy and Entertainment

25 October 2012

The Work Experience (E4 October 2012)

Set in the madness of new fashion PR agency Grade PR, The Work Experience is a fresh new comedy series, which follows ambitious interns as they embark on a week of tasks, tantrums and tears. However, unknown to them, the entire agency is fictional and its flamboyant staff roll are a cleverly cast mix of talented actors. The interns are central to every hissy fit and bizarre request and the agency's clashing personalities mixed with a bucketful of outrageous situations create a nightmare for the work experiencers. At the end of the each episode, the fictional element is revealed to the interns, whose efforts are rewarded by a full month's paid placement - giving them invaluable first-hand experience at a ‘real' fashion PR agency.  The Work Experience is commissioned by Fiona McDermott, Channel 4 and is produced by 2LE Media. It is directed by Tom Forbes and series producer is Michael Livingstone.

 

Full English (November 2012)

2012 has been the year of all things English. The Olympics, the Jubilee... We've been celebrating our great nation non-stop it seems. Ok so we've proved we can have fun and party with the best of them but really, it's not very British. So to remind ourselves just how we do things ‘properly', meet the Johnson family - Edgar, his wife Wendy and their three kids Dusty, Jason and Eve. Also in the mix is Edgar's father in law and boss - multi-millionaire confectionary mogul Ken Lavender, who despises Edgar. Ken's only friend is a large green imaginary figment of his imagination called Squidge who makes him do bad things. Welcome to Full English, Channel 4's brand new animated sitcom - on the surface it's an animated sitcom about a quintessentially English family. But at its heart it's a satirical look at our popular culture, our monarchy, our economy, our country today. It's a little bit rude, puerile and silly, in the tradition of British comedy but it also tells stories that engage with characters we care about... The show was commissioned by Acting Head of Comedy Nerys Evans and is produced by TWO BROTHERS PICTURES in association with Rough Draft Studios.

 

Peep Show (November 2012)

Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain's multi award-winning sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb returns for an eighth season next month. We pick up the story as it was left at the end of series seven when, on New Year's Eve, Mark asked Dobby, his girlfriend, to move in with him. She agreed, and Jeremy was faced with the prospect of moving out to make way. It's a month or so later, and Mark is still waiting for Jeremy to leave. In the meantime, Mark is becoming increasingly jealous of Gerrard, his rival for Dobby's affections. Because Gerrard is so sickly, Dobby constantly makes visits to his flat to look after him, and Mark is beginning to worry that she'll move in with his rival instead. Meanwhile Jeremy, realising that his life to date has amounted to very little, decides to visit a therapist. When Mark gets himself a job in a bathroom fittings shop, and Jeremy finds therapy beneficial, things begin to take a positive turn, until that is, an unforeseen tragic event hits them both like a bolt from the blue. The show was commissioned by Acting Head of Comedy Nerys Evans and is produced by Objective Productions.

 

The Unseen Frankie Howerd (December 2012)

Twenty years after his death, never-before-seen footage of Frankie Howerd will be revealed in this new documentary. Alongside the clips from classic shows, the programme will unveil professional and personal archive film and audio that has never been broadcast - from pilots, to home movie footage, to unseen material from his live stand up show. A range of contributors have been interviewed for the 90-minute doc, including some of the comedian's most famous fans as well as the people who were closest to him, such as his former agent and collaborators. The Unseen Frankie Howerd was commissioned by Nerys Evans, Acting Head of Comedy, Channel 4. It's produced by Gogglebox Television, directed by Andy Humphries and Executive Producer is Mat Steiner.

 

An Audience With Adam Hills (W/T) (December 2012)

Coming off the critically acclaimed run as the host of The Last Leg, the late night show that ran daily during C4's coverage of the Paralympics, comedian Adam Hills has signed an exclusive one year deal with Channel 4. Alongside a Christmas Special of The Last Leg, Channel 4 will be showing a special of Adam Hills live stand up recorded at the Lyric Theatre in London's West End. The show is produced by Open Mike Productions for Channel 4.

 

The British Comedy Awards (December 2012)

This December Jonathan Ross returns to Channel 4 to host British Comedy's most exciting night of the year - and he'll be doing it all live. The crème de la crème of UK and International comedians, writers and producers will vie to take home a coveted award for Christmas and there will be stars a plenty to present the live on stage. The BCA's are commissioned by Comedy Commissioning Editor Fiona McDermott and are co-produced by Unique Television Productions and CPL productions

 

Channel4 Mash Up (January 2013)

Kicking off 2013 will be another Channel 4 Mash Up were for one night only, a selection of familiar Channel 4 hosts are pushed right out of their comfort zones by job swapping with each other. This year C4's very own Chatty Man Alan Carr will take the helm of our biggest game show Million Pound Drop. Following Cats doing Countdown last year, January will see the cast of 8 Out Of 10 Cats do Deal Or No Deal and doubtless the banker is already in training for the quick witticisms of Sean and Jon.  Ditching their luxury of SW3, the Made In Chelsea cast will head north in a spoof of Shameless, to spend time on the Chatsworth Estate.

 

Anna & Katy's Television Programme (2013)

Brilliantly silly new comedy from acclaimed double act Anna Crilly and Katy Wix, Anna & Katy's Television Programme is a six part character-driven sketch show for Channel 4 mixing the pair's unique comedy creations with celebrity cameos and daft TV pastiches such as daytime show 'Congratulation', a show where people write in to be congratulated for completing life's minor tasks such as signing up for internet banking. The show will also feature some of the most exciting up and coming talents on the sketch comedy circuit.

 

Black Mirror (2013)

Channel 4's award winning trilogy, Black Mirror, written by Charlie Brooker,  will return with three brand new films in 2013. The critically acclaimed drama series collected a Golden Rose Award for the first series of films and achieved an extremely high 2.1mVoD views (post 7 days of TX).

Out-going Head of Comedy Shane Allen said: "British drama seems particularly obsessed with murder and the past, often together. Black Mirror is a rare modern look at where society and individuals could be headed given the all-pervasive deluge of social media and technology. Charlie Brooker exudes that same pioneering spirit of Dennis Potter and Chris Morris with their daring, complex, compelling originality."

Black Mirror will be Executive Produced by Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones and series produced by Barney Reisz for Zeppotron.

 

Derek (2013)

Derek is a bitter sweet comedy drama about a group of outsiders living on society's margins. Derek Noakes (Ricky Gervais) is a tender, innocent man whose love for his job and the people he cares for shines through. He's 49 years old and loves animals, Rolf Harris, Jesus, ‘Deal or No Deal', ‘Million Pound Drop' and ‘Britain's Got Talent' - but his main hobby is autograph hunting. He works in a retirement home with his mate and landlord, Dougie (Karl Pilkington in his very first acting role).Derek cares deeply for old people because they're kind and funny and tell him stories about the olden days. Hannah (Kerry Godliman) is a care worker at the home and is Derek's best friend. She's smart, witty and hardworking, but unlucky in love, and like Derek, always puts other people first. The series will further explore the relationships between this close knit group as they work in the old people's home. Derek will be made by Derek Productions Ltd for Channel 4. Written and directed by Ricky Gervais, Director of Photography is Martin Hawkins and Producer is Charlie Hanson.

 

The Mimic (2013)

The Mimic is a sitcom written by Matt Morgan and directed by Kieron Hawkes. It's the story of Martin Hurdle (Terry Mynott), a seemingly unremarkable maintenance man who, in fact, conceals an exceptional talent. What makes Martin unique is his uncanny ability to mimic voices. Stumbling through life, as he has been until now, his mimicry of celebrities and colleagues alike has been a rather fruitless pursuit. However, in a huge revelation from a former lover, Martin is about to discover that he could in fact be the father of a 19-year-old son. With their first meeting on the horizon, is this the news that will finally kick start Martin into adulthood? And if it is, just how will he use his voices to cope with this life changing development? Series produced by Jack Bayles and John Noel as Exec Producers, the programme is a Running Bare Pictures production.