E4 launches female sketch show

E4 has ordered an all-female sketch show featuring stand-up Sarah Kendall and Alice Lowe from Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.

The five-part series will be written by the cast, which also includes Barunka O’Shaughnessy, recently seen in Five’s sitcom Respectable, and Clare Thomson from live sketch group Piggy Nero.

Producer Siobhan Rhodes said: ‘Beehive is about women being funny. There isn’t enough of that on TV right now.

‘Only Barunka and Alice had met before I introduced Sarah and Clare. It was great to see chemistry immediately and to know that Beehive will be the first result of the introduction of these four unique but complementary talents.

Shane Allen, commissioning editor for comedy at Channel 4, added: ‘Beehive has a distinct comic heart to it. It’s a lovely mix of very silly performances but conceptually it’s very cleverly written.’

Filming begins later this summer, and the show is being made by Tiger Aspect.

Published: 21 Jul 2008