Genius on the move
Gorman's radio show transfers to TV
Dave Gorman’s Radio 4 show Genius is to transfer to television.BBC Two has ordered six episodes of the show, which invites daft or inspired ideas from the public then puts them to the test.
Producer Simon Nicholls said the transfer would enable the show to become more ambitious.
‘We want to do lots of big, bold, silly production with the ideas, taking our inspiration from shows like Top Gear, Tomorrow's World and Blue Peter,’ he told Chortle.
Previous ideas submitted to the radio show have included fizzy Bovril as a drink, mini-elephants as pets, and breathalysers on your mobile phone to stop you from making regrettable calls.
A pilot edition of Genius was made for TV last year, and now the full series has been commissioned from the BBC’s in-house production unit SLAP, headed by Armando Iannucci.
Filming will start in September, for likely transmission early next year.
Producers are now inviting public suggestions for the new TV series, which should submitted to genius@bbc.co.uk
Genius is the latest comedy show to make the move from radio to the small screen, and news of the transfer comes as Radio 4 starts a new comedy strand – Happy Monday – specifically designed to nurture possible TV idea.
More Radio 4 editions of Genius are also in the pipeline.
Published: 28 Apr 2008
