Before first episode has even aired

Charlie Brooker’s spoof detective procedural A Touch Of Cloth is to be made into a feature length film.

Although the first episodes will not air until August, Sky 1 has today announced that it has commissioned two more hour-long episodes and a two-hour film.

Filming has already started on the second series of two episodes, which are set to air next year, with the feature-length episode to follow later.

The show features John Hannah as DCI Jack Cloth, with Suranne Jones as his sidekick Anne Oldman, as well as Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Bower, Navin Chowdhry and Daisy Beaumont.

It is one of a number of Sky has recommissioned a batch of comedy shows – many of them before they have even aired for the first time.

Chris O’Dowd’s Moone Boy has also been greenlit for a second run. Set in a smalltown in Ireland in 1989 the series, which will debut this autumn, follows the antics of 11-year-old Martin Moone and his imaginary friend, played by IT Crowd star O'Dowd. Martin's imagination comes into play both in his childish drawings, which come alive through animation.

Another eight hour-long episodes of Starlings, the family sitcom written by and starring Matt King and Steve Edge and executive produced by Baby Cow’s Henry Normal and Steve Coogan have been ordered for 2013. 

And Christmas series Little Crackers will return this year, with Katy Brand , Paul O’Grady, Jason Manford, Alison Steadman and Joanna Lumley making short films based around their childhood memories.

This year. each short film will be complemented by 15 minute behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Sky also announced today a new trivia-based panel show, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo and a comedy chat show called Help Me I’m Human – both of which will be single pilot episodes.

Published: 22 Jun 2012