UKTV Order ‘We Are Not Alone’ Sci-fi Comedy From Creators Of ‘Ghosts’ & Big Talk
UKTV’s Dave Channel has ordered ‘We Are Not Alone‘ a sci-fi comedy from Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, two of the co-creators behind ‘Ghosts’, and produced by Big Talk (‘The Outlaws’, ‘Back’, ‘Friday Night Dinner’).
Set six weeks after aliens have invaded and completely conquered Earth, ‘We Are Not Alone’ explores the culture clash between humankind and its new alien masters, who are trying to make sense of a planet so confusing and idiotic that its inhabitants can’t even agree which side of the road to drive on.
The two-hour tv feature is written by Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, two of the cabal that brought us brilliant shows such as BBC’s ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Horrible Histories’, along with the wonderful Sky puppet comedy ‘Yonderland’. Big Talk, who are responsible for shows such as BBC’s ‘The Outlaws’, alongside Channel 4’s ‘Back’ and ‘Friday Night Dinner’, produce the comedy.
“We are so excited to be bringing this project to you puny Earthlings,” said Rickard and Willbond in a statement. “We’ve never attempted anything so ambitious or ridiculous, so we’re thrilled to be joined on the adventure by such an incredible cast and phenomenal crew.”
‘We Are Not Alone’ is commissioned for UKTV by Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and ordered by Cherie Cunningham, Dave channel director. Richard Watsham is director of commissioning for UKTV and Steve North is genre general manager, comedy and entertainment. ‘We Are Not Alone’ is directed by Fergal Costello (‘Brain In Gear’) and produced by Philip Leach (‘The Bay’). Executive producers for Big Talk are Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice and Victoria Grew.
“The premise of this highly original Special is as richly comic as it is timely,” adds Pete Thornton. “We’ve seen shows before about alien invasion, but none have grappled with how said aliens might try to govern and live alongside us after their (inevitably pathetically easy) victory. By observing the way we live through fresh alien eyes, Larry and Ben’s remarkable script does a brilliant job of reflecting our topsy turvy world and pointing out what a bunch of idiots the human race really are – and that all things considered we might not actually be the best custodians of our increasingly fragile and damaged planet.”
‘We Are Not Alone‘ will air on Dave and UKTV Play in 2022. International distribution will be handled by BBC Studios. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
