Channel 4 has announced they are bringing a brand-new comedy series to screens, with ‘Stepping Up‘, a six-part sitcom from Roughcut Television (Big Boys, We Might Regret This, Things You Should Have Done) that promises a fresh and funny look at the modern family dynamic.
Written by and starring Josh Pugh (Sneakerhead, Live at the Apollo), the series sees Josh play… Josh: an over-enthusiastic stepdad who is determined to prove himself to his new, previously harmonious family unit. His mission is to be the perfect role model for his stepchildren, the ideal partner to his girlfriend, and an all-round “Good Bloke.” The problem is that everyone is already fine without his relentless efforts, but that is not going to stop Josh from “stepping up” anyway.
The comedy mines the awkward and often unspoken world of step-parenting. As Channel 4 explains, “Every day behind closed doors in Britain, a stepdad negotiates the tricky paradox of bringing up another man’s kids: locked in several love triangles, the partner and the ex, the kid and the biological dad, there’s no easy way to play it.”
Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, said:
“There’s something magic in Josh’s naturalism that I don’t think we’ve seen in a sitcom before. He’s magnetic on screen and his writing under the expert shepherding of Roughcut is the perfect mix of hyper silly and hyper real. An exciting, new, natural born sitcom star in a simple sitcom world. Channel 4 are really proud that Stepping Up continues our work with Josh across the channel.”
Josh Pugh added:
“I’m over the moon to be doing something that very few people get to do in their lives and make a sitcom. I live and grew up in a small town with stepparents on both sides, and I think it’s a huge untapped well of comedy. A huge number of people in Britain are navigating the complexities of bringing other people’s kids up and I want to capture that in a really funny and authentic sitcom that is also hopefully financially lucrative.”
Steve Monger, Executive Producer at Roughcut TV, commented:
“Josh is a brilliantly talented writer, performer, stand-up and king of socials skits. In Stepping Up he’s created a truly original, raucous and refreshing take on the family sitcom; Roughcut are very proud to be bringing this to life with Josh and Channel 4. See you in the Midlands!”
The commission comes after Stepping Up’s successful debut as part of Channel 4’s Comedy Blaps strand, which has previously spawned shows including We Are Lady Parts, Stath Lets Flats, Home, Chewing Gum, and most recently Pushers (formerly Disability Benefits).
The 6-episode series is commissioned for Channel 4 by Charlie Perkins, Andy Brereton and Joe Hullait. Executive producers are Ash Atalla, Alex Smith and Steve Monger, with Ben Worsfield serving as series producer. Casting details and the premiere date will be announced later.
‘Stepping Up‘ Season 1 premieres in 2025 on Channel 4. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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