Mel Giedroyc invites celebrities to The Really Really Rude Puppet Show (w/t) for Channel 4

24 June 2022

Channel 4 has commissioned a new comedy entertainment series from RDF seeing celebrities reading steamy fan fiction acted out by a cast of lookalike puppets.

In each episode of The Really Really Rude Puppet Show (w/t), Mel Giedroyc invites a different celebrity to read an erotic piece of new creative writing where the celeb is the lead protagonist. Each character in the story is brought to life by a band of puppets voiced entirely by the celebrity and Mel. In each fanciful, unique story, the puppet versions of the celebrities will encounter romance, scandal, mystery, intrigue, and farce, with Mel finding out from the real-life celebrity just what they make of their fictionalised exploits.

Mel Giedroyc comments: “This is going to be a celebration of erotic fan fiction. With puppets. Imagine a world where Jackie Collins meets Thunderbirds. I’m so looking forward to a trip to Love Island... via Tracy Island.”

The new series steps into the literary world of adult fan fiction – stories penned by hobbyist writers centred on amorous adventures about celebrities or characters from literature and pop culture. Fan fiction writing has grown up in the age of the World Wide Web, with thousands of works published online every week and some of the most successful writers having gone on to achieve book and film deals, including, most famously, E.L. James’s multi-million-pound raunchy romance franchise Fifty Shades of Grey.

The series will showcase specially commissioned fan fiction writing and, with the help of top script editors, bring the best stories to screen. The celebrities featured will be announced at a later date.

The 6 x 30’ series has been commissioned for Channel 4 and All 4 by Vivienne Molokwu, Senior Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment. The series is produced by RDF Television (a Banijay UK company), with Head of Popular Factual Maia Liddell as Executive Producer and Toby Brack as Series Producer. The Really Really Rude Puppet Show (w/t) is a Banijay format supported by its Creative Fund and distribution outside its footprint is handled by Banijay Rights.

Channel 4’s Vivienne Molokwu comments: “I’m very much looking forward to steamy storytime with Mel, a gang of celeb mates and a bunch of lookalike puppets. This is a very Channel 4 way of encouraging creative writing, where artistic self-expression will be encouraged. We may well unearth the next E.L. James in the process, which has got to be a good thing.”

RDF Television’s Maia Liddell adds: “A passion project four years in the making, we’re really excited to be delving into the creative, intriguing and erotic world of fan fiction writing. We couldn’t have a more perfect host in Mel to take the guests, and us, on these thrilling adventures”.

ENDS

For more information, contact Nick Walker, Channel 4 Press Office

This page was updated 6 July 2022