Ian Mckellan in drama school mockumentary

Sir Ian McKellen is working on a comedy set in a fictional recession-hot drama school.

My Family producers DLT Entertainment are working on the spoof documentary The Academy, which also stars Jonathan Hyde, Sylvester McCoy and Frances Barber.

McKellen plays his fictional brother, Murray, who invited cameras into the The Clapham Academy of Creative Arts in an attempt to raise money.

However no broadcaster has yet signed up the luvvie comedy, written by Royal Shakespeare Company actor Peter Hinton.

Producer Humphrey Barclay described McKellen’s comedy skills as ‘delicious’.

He told actors’ newspaper The Stage: ‘This is the first time he has chosen to do a comedy series, and he has turned down everything else to play his wayward, elegant, hilarious alter ego, his fictional brother Murray, dedicated to the survival of a shoe-string drama school.’

A seven-minute teaser episode has been filmed, and can be seen here.

Published: 6 Oct 2009