The BBC is set to continue one of its biggest anthology-esque comedy shows as the writer of Twenty Twelve and W1A is working on a new show.
Screenwriter John Morton penned the London 2012 Olympics lampooning comedy series Twenty Twelve which introduced Hugh Bonneville as a high powered management official named Ian Fletcher as he overawe preparations for the international sporting event. He was joined by hapless PR official Siobhan Sharpe, played by Jessica Hynes, as they battled to remove a series of often self inflicted blunders.
They returned for spin-off show W1A which saw the same characters attempt to manage expectations as well as HR and branding issues at the BBC. Now attention is being turned to another massive institution - FIFA. According to W1A star Sarah Parish, who played a character named Anna Rampton, the screenwriter behind the two existing shows is hard at work creating a new one.
She told the That Gaby Roslin podcast: “It’s being written — maybe I’m talking out of turn, I don’t know. John Morton, the writer, is so brilliant and so fabulous at picking out the subtleties of the horror of working in an institution that big, but he did it brilliantly. It was a joyful thing to be in.
"So Ian Fletcher will continue. And I thought probably Siobhan, could go with him because wherever Ian goes, Siobhan goes as well and does all his PR, really badly. So I’m hoping that those two characters will have another rebirth into another series.”
Fans of W1A have long hoped for new episodes of the satirical comedy show - as the last season that ran was in 2017. There was a degree of relief for fans earlier this year when a sketch featured in the 2024 Comic Relief telethon. Fans were able to see Hugh and Jessica back in their hilarious roles as they desperately searched for a new star to take the mantle from Sir Lenny Henry - who shocked fans by announcing the 2024 Comic Relief event would be his last.
The sketch saw Sir Lenny being insulted as he sat for a meeting at BBC headquarters while a string of other stars lined up to audition for his Comic Relief role. Stars including Richard Madeley, Lorraine Kelly, and even Pudsey the bear lining up to try out for his role as the host of the iconic charity event.
Sir Lenny announced his plan to step down from Comic Relief in January. He said: "I have decided this will be the last time I host Comic Relief on the night. Only because I have been doing it since the 90s - and I think it is time for someone else to take the reins."
He continued: "When we first started Comic Relief back in 1985, I never dreamed we'd still be here today. I thought we'd probably do three shows and that would be it, but fast-forward nearly 40 years, and that enthusiasm and determination to step up and help others has never wavered.
"As life president of Comic Relief, I'm excited to see some new and familiar faces come forward now to present the big night and lead us into the next chapter."
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