Set in Glasgow community centre

Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell have shot a new sitcom pilot for the BBC.

The Sunny is set in a Glasgow community centre, with the classes recalling the youth theatre group where the duo first met.

Connell plays The Sunshine Community Centre's handyman Joe, while Florence is Charlie, a successful musician who's returned home.

However, executive producer Rab Christie calls the pilot more of an 'ensemble' piece than their previous sitcoms, Empty and Legit, which both had two male leads, featuring 'a better range of voices to show more of their writing'.

The Sunny is narrated by Margaret, who runs the centre. Another key character is Emma, who teaches urban street dance and yoga.

Made by The Comedy Unit, the pilot has been shot as a one-off with no guarantee that it will air. That was also the case for Burnistoun, Limmy's Show and forthcoming police procedural sitcom Scot Squad, all subsequently commissioned by BBC Scotland, with the two sketch shows later transmitting UK-wide.

The pilot was shot in Coatbridge, tho the east of Glasgow, and directed by Iain Davidson, who worked on Burnistoun, Empty and Legit, as well as Scot Squad and Gary: Tank Commander.

Speaking to the Daily Record last year, Florence said: ‘We want to make a sitcom set in Scotland, something that has authenticity about it.'

'Some characters are a wee bit lost and a wee bit down on their luck, maybe volunteering because it's not quite happening for them elsewhere' adds Christie. 'But the dance and martial arts classes are thriving and you've got characters who are flourishing at the community centre'.

Through their Glasgow-based production company, Bold Yin Productions, Florence and Connell are also developing an all-female sketch show for Channel 4, having recruited the writing team and performers through social networks.

The pair, whose first job was writing for sketch show Chewin' The Fat, have recently made a series of music videos and a philosophy sketch show for children, Enlighten Up! for BBC Two. But The Sunny is their first sitcom writing since the abandoned fifth series of The IT Crowd, which creator Graham Linehan asked them to contribute ideas to, alongside Rob Delaney and The Dawson Brothers.

By Jay Richardson

Published: 20 Sep 2013