Comedy pilot commissioned

ITV is to film a pilot of a new improvised romantic comedy show, which could see the spontaneous form return to TV for the first time in six years.

Dream Date is based on a live show which The Spontaneity Shop have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The show is described as involving elements of sitcom, reality TV and game show as performers recreate a fictional relationship between two audience volunteers, who supply information about themselves to make the portrayals accuate.

Comics then meet, fall in love, argue and make up as the two audience strangers, while other cast members play friends and family.

Producer David Tyler told the Guardian: “They improvise a full blooded, complete from start to finish, When Harry Met Sally-style romantic comedy.

"The volunteers are asked things like: 'If you had a row, would you call him back?' They find out an awful lot about the real people. What you tend to find is that women are quite happy to talk about themselves. The guys are either tongue-tied or flippant, but they get the truth out of them in the end."

TV has not had a successful improvised comedy show since Whose Line is it Anyway? ended its ten-year run on Channel 4 in 1998, although the American version is still going strong.

The pilot was commissioned after ITV controller of comedy Sioned Wiliam saw the improv show at the Latchmere pub in Battersea, South London.

Published: 27 Oct 2004