Man Down - brand new to Channel 4 this Autumn

27 September 2013

Greg Davies, acclaimed stand-up comedian, Mr Gilbert in the hit TV series and film The Inbetweeners, and BAFTA-nominated star of Cuckoo, writes and stars in the new series which also features 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer winner, Roisin Conaty (Impractical Jokers), Rik Mayall (The Young Ones), Deirdre Mullins (Whitechapel), 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Mike Wozniak (Live At The Electric), Gwyneth Powell (Grange Hill) and Jeany Spark (Wallander).

 

This new sitcom introduces Dan (Greg Davies), a childish idiot trapped in an adult’s life.  Crushing character flaws, an unwanted teaching job, uniquely dysfunctional friends and a willfully insane Dad conspire to keep this Man Down 

 

Dan’s world is at near collapse, his girlfriend Naomi (Deidre Mullins) is fast running out of patience with his inability to navigate the simplest of life tasks, while his best friends are Jo (Rosin Conaty) who has, what can only be described as, the loosest of grasp on reality and Brian (Mike Wozniak), a straight-laced financial adviser who is regularly dumbfounded by the complete idiocy of his two friends.  To compound matters Dan’s listless teaching career sees him begrudgingly teach a version of the same lesson every day, inexplicably popular with all but one of the pupils, with his only highlight coming in the form of Miss Lipsey (Jeany Spark), a head mistress who views Dan with a mixture of pity and despair.  Tormented daily by his father (Rik Mayall) whose driving motivation in life seems to be to ensure his son is humiliated at every turn, not to mention regularly physically attacked, does so while keeping it almost completely under the radar of his wife and Dan’s mum (Gwyneth Powell).

 

Man Down is an Avalon Television production commissioned by Nerys Evans, C4's Deputy Head of Comedy.  The series is produced by Spencer Millman (TV Burp), directed by Matt Lipsey (Psychoville and Saxondale), while the Executive Producers are James Taylor, Richard Allen-Turner, and Jon Thoday.

 

 

“At heart, it’s a brilliant example of a mainstream sitcom… but with a twist and heart of its own. Channel 4 – and Greg Davies – deserve to have a monster hit on their hands”

Steve Bennett, Chortle