The BBC has announced six new and returning comedies coming to the UK broadcaster, including the return of Alan Partridge, Philomena Cunk, ‘Man Like Mobeen’ and more.
Alan Partridge is confirmed to return with a new documentary series as he reintegrates into life in Britain after a year working in Saudi Arabia. Philomena Cunk is back and setting out to explore the meaning of life; ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’ from Adjani Salmon has got a second outing and Greg Davies’ ‘The Cleaner’ and ‘Man Like Mobeen’ from Guz Khan are also returning.
“The BBC is the home of comedy, commissioning more than anyone else in the UK,” said Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy. “Nine out of 10 of the top-rated scripted comedies last year were on the BBC and the enduring popularity of our comedy is reflected in its success on BBC iPlayer with over 600 million requests in 2023. We are the biggest backers of new talent and we nurture and develop brand new comedy voices whilst still attracting the most established household names and I’m really pleased to be welcoming back some fan favourites alongside our new sitcom Only Child.”
Here’s the line up of shows coming up:
Only Child (New Sitcom)
‘Only Child‘, a brand-new sitcom starring Greg McHugh (The A Word, Fresh Meat) as only child and budding author Richard, who travels back to his family home in North East Scotland to look after his aging and wilful dad Ken, played by Gregor Fisher (Rab C Nesbitt, Love Actually, The Cockfields), as he slips into ever more eccentric and erratic behaviour.
‘Only Child’ is a Happy Tramp North production for BBC One and BBC Scotland. The Writer is Bryce Hart and the Executive Producer is Neil Webster. The series was ordered for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland.
And Did Those Feet… with Alan Partridge
In his new documentary series – ‘And Did Those Feet… with Alan Partridge’ – we follow the beloved and, to be fair, revered broadcaster as he reintegrates into life in Britain after a year working in Saudi Arabia. But what begins as a documentary about homecoming soon morphs into something more personal as Alan realises that the happiness he thought he’d feel at being back in Norwich just hasn’t materialised.
The series is a Baby Cow production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Written by Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons. Directed by Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons. The producer is Joe Fraser and the executive producers are Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Rupert Majendie and Sarah Monteith.
Cunk’s Quest for Meaning
Following the global success of ‘Cunk on Earth’, pioneering documentary-maker Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) returns with her most ambitious quest to date; venturing right up the universe and everything, to find the definitive answer to the ultimate question – the meaning of life.
‘Cunk’s Quest for Meaning‘ is a Broke and Bones production for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Created and written by Charlie Brooker, written with Diane Morgan, Ben Caudell, Erika Ehler, Charlie George, Eli Goldstone, Jason Hazeley, Lucia Keskin, Joel Morris, Michael Odewale.
Dreaming Whilst Black, Season 2
BBC Comedy have picked up a second season of the critically acclaimed half-hour comedy-drama ‘Dreaming Whilst Black‘, which garnered industry praise for its first series. Featuring returning star and Bafta Award-winning co-creator and co-writer Adjani Salmon, series two will commence filming later this year in the UK.
Loosely inspired by real-life events, the series tells the story of Kwabena (Adjani Salmon), an aspiring filmmaker stuck in a dead-end recruitment job who takes the first step toward achieving his dream. Along the way, he is quickly confronted with the tribulations of balancing finances, love, and his own sense of reality.
The show is a Big Deal Films and A24 production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. The executive producers are Dhanny Joshi, Thomas Stogdon and Adjani Salmon. The producer is Nicola Gregory. The original web series was co-written by Adjani Salmon and Ali Hughes and was created by Adjani Salmon, Max Evans, Laura de Sousa Seixas and Natasha Jatania of 4 Quarters Films.
Man Like Mobeen, Season 5
Bafta-nominated comedy ‘Man Like Mobeen‘ has been commissioned for a fifth series by the BBC. Guz Khan returns to the series once more as the notorious lead character Mobeen. Viewers were left reeling by the season four finale cliffhanger, leaving fans to ponder the fate of our haphazard Mobeen.
The Cleaner, Season 3
As we announced back in January, Greg Davies’ comedy ‘The Cleaner‘ has been renewed for Season 3.
Co-written by and starring Greg Davies, ‘The Cleaner’ follows Paul “Wicky” Wickstead on more of his eventful cleaning jobs. Armed again with his chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags, Wicky removes more gruesome remains at the scenes of new crimes, including in a theatre, an electrical goods store, and a stately home. It is here he meets some more unusual characters and gets sucked into their worlds as he can’t help but gossip as he cleans, all the while trying to get down to the pub. Zita Sattar is expected to return in her role as PS Ruth Edwards, alongside another host of guest stars.
Adapted from the multi-award winning long-running German comedy Der Tatortreiniger, created by Mizzi Meyer, the second season was co-written by Paul Allen, Barry Castagnola, Meg Salter and Mike Wozniak. The series was directed by Tom Marshall and Dominic Brigstocke.
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