From courtroom dramas and double identities, to celebrity dinner dates and life-changing encounters, BBC Two has some exciting new comedy commissions coming later this year.
Leading the charge is Defending The Guilty a courtroom drama from Kieron Quirke (Cuckoo). Katherine Parkinson (Humans) plays Caroline, the cynical and experienced pupil master of Will (played by Flower's Will Sharpe), an idealistic pupil barrister. Will must navigate his way through the complexities of the justice system, to fight it out with several other hopeful contenders for a single job at the end of training. Expect cut-throat exploits and plenty of back-stabbing. The six part series is based on the book Defending The Guilty: Truth And Lies in The Criminal Courtroom by criminal barrister Alex McBride.
Another thrilling addition is Don’t Forget The Driver, the latest offering from BAFTA-nominated actor Toby Jones (Detectorists) and Obie award-winning playwright Tim Crouch (Beginners). The six-part series tells the story of single dad and coach driver Peter Green (Jones) and how an accidental encounter changes the course of his mundane existence. The series is Executive Produced by Jane Featherstone and Naomi de Pear for Sister Pictures.
Six-part series The Other One explores what happens when a beloved father dies and his children discover that he has a secret family. Cathy (Siobhan Finneran, Happy Valley) and Cat (Rebecca Front, War and Peace) have the same name and, surprisingly, the same dad, but had no idea the other existed until his funeral. Unbeknownst to either of them they were born a week apart and have been living just 13 miles away from each other. Needless to say, the Cat is out of the bag.
Finally, subversive entertainment show I’ll Get This sees an eclectic mix of five celebrities dining out together. Each must place their bank card in the centre of the table and, over the course of the evening, play a series of amusing and revealing games. If they win, they get to retrieve their card and the person whose card remains at the end has to pick up the entire tab.
“There’s nothing funny about being stuck with the bill, but luckily I’ll Get This is a very funny watch as we witness a unique set of well-known diners do whatever it takes to get their credit card back,” said Kate Phillips, Controller of BBC Entertainment Commissioning, she added, “ Let the gourmet games begin!”
All of the shows announced are set to air on BBC Two later this year.
