Paul Abbott takes on the law in brand new comedy drama series

Channel 4 has green-lit a new eight-part comedy drama series by award-winning writer Paul Abbott, it was announced today by Chief Creative Officer, Jay Hunt.

Set in a crumbling cop shop on the wrong side of Manchester, No Offence follows a group of bobbies on the front line, wondering what they did to end up here, in this force, on this side of town.  Keeping these streets clean is a Herculean task, enough to demoralize even the keenest rookie.  But there’s a reason these cops are in this force.  As the never ending rabble off the local estates pours in, Inspector Vivienne Deering, the station’s sharp, funny (peculiar) and hard as they come boss, and her team led by DC Dinah Kowalski (smart but impetuous, stuck in the middle, single mother in her 30s) and DC Joy Freers (buttoned up so tight she might pop! But nobody’s mug), show they have what it takes to crack crime and to expose the addled, the skanky, the pimps, the petty and the really proper nasty bastards for the sewer rats they are.

Raucous, riotous and razor sharp, No Offence is a new and completely original take on the world of the police procedural and is set to shock, move and invite audiences to laugh themselves silly by turns.

Paul Abbott says: “I’m a big fan of well-told cop shows and jet-black social comedy, and I wanted to see how explosively we could bang two genres’ heads together. No Offence is reared on wilder-than-average seeds and I've had a ball with the AbbottVision team in building this concept.   It’s a tilted, hardcore blend of cop drama, family saga and social mayhem.” 

Piers Wenger, Channel 4 Head of Drama says: “No Offence is the best of what the world has come to expect from a Paul Abbott script: characters you can adore, gags which practically blind you with their brilliance and plots which, while appearing outlandish, challenge the way you think about the world. We’re delighted to announce the commissioning of this new series created and written by Paul and welcome him back to Channel 4."

Martin Carr, Executive Producer at AbbottVision adds: "No Offence is a bold, witty and unusual show and we are delighted at the unconditional enthusiasm and support we have been given by Piers and his team to be as bold as we dare. NO OFFENCE is a completely new show, told in a way not seen before on television and Channel 4 is absolutely the right home for it."

Written and created by Paul Abbott, No Offence will be produced by AbbottVision on location in Manchester.