Correspondents, coarse
BBC plans foreign reporters' sitcom
The BBC is making a sitcom about the bad behaviour of its own foreign correspondents.
Journalists Tira Shubart and Sandra Jones are writing the show, based on their own experiences in the field.
So far two half-hour pilots of The Calais Rules, named after the ‘what goes on tour stays on tour’ convention that stories of misbehaviour never cross the English Channel, have been ordered by BBC Two.
It focuses on a group of BBC correspondents reporting on a fictitious African war, and is co-written by Jon Rolph – producer of French and Saunders and the Mark Steel Lectures, and the only member of the writing trio without first-hand experience.
BBC head of comedy Jon Plowman said: ‘Two of the three writers have worked in the field for news organisations and saw the funny side, hopefully we will capture that.’
It will be filmed in Kenya and will air in the new year.
Published: 20 Aug 2006
