Whitehouse & Higson's new show

Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson are working on a TV spin-off from their spoof Radio 4 phone-in, Down The Line.

The original caused controversy when it first aired in 2006, as listeners were led to believe the trite host, Gary Bellamy, was a genuine radio presenter. In fact, he was created by Whitehouse and Higson, and played by Star Stories and Nathan Barley star Rhys Thomas.

Now the team behind the semi-improvised show are working on a television version – in which Bellamy will tour Britain in search of odd characters.

The plan was let slip by Simon Day, who played some of the callers to the Radio 4 show, in a Chortle interview to promote his forthcoming live tour.

‘After the tour I’ll be doing a version of Down The Line for TV,’ he said.

‘It’ll be like a Jack Hargreaves/Down Your Way type of thing, with Gary Bellamy, the DJ character, travelling around the country meeting quirky characters.’

Others who took part in the radio show included Amelia Bullmore, Felix Dexter and Lucy Montgomery.

Published: 14 Oct 2008