BBC Three confirms comedy line-up

Also in the winter/spring schedule is the hour-long finale of acclaimed thirtysomething sitcom Pulling, which was cancelled to the dismay of creator Sharon Horgan.

Horne And Corden, which is directed by Kathy Burke, will be a traditional six-part character sketch show with a live studio audience. Among their targets will be Ricky Gervais, who they will mock doing ‘serious acting’.

Other characters include: Xander, a foul-mouthed former boarding-school boy who pops up to remind people of embarrassing moments from their past; Tim Goodall, a gay TV journalist who's more interested in how fit the soldiers are in Basra than delivering breaking news; and Superman and Spiderman, who engage in stilted conversation.

We Are Klang’s show is set in the offices of Klangbury council, where buffoons Marek Larwood, Steve Hall and Greg Davies incompetently run the town.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Greg longs to be an upstanding civic leader but, unable to cope with the pressures of the job, he takes it out on inept simpleton Marek, who needs little help in looking idiotic but gets it all the same from psychotic but lovable schemer Steve.

‘Each week, their ineptitude scales increasingly improbable heights as they're called upon to resolve a municipal issue or impending disaster Salvation is invariably snatched from the jaws of debacle.

BBC Three controller Danny Cohen said: ‘Adding to the channel's reputation as the home of new comedy will be two major new talent-led projects: Horne And Corden and We Are Klang. I'm thrilled to have young writers and performers of this calibre on the channel.’

Also returning to BBC Three is Johnny Vegas sitcom Ideal and Two Pints Of Lager spin-off Grown Ups.

Published: 13 Jan 2009