Radio 4's new comedy pilots

Radio 4 has announced a news series of comedy pilots featuring David Mitchell, Angelos Epithemious, Justin Moorhouse, Will Smith and others.

Happy Tuesdays is a collaboration between BBC radio and TV, and will showcase five new ideas that could be developed into series for either medium.

The season, which starts at 11pm on July 20, follows on from the 2008 series Happy Mondays, which spawned full radio series of the sketch show The Odd Half Hour and impressions show The Secret World.

This year’s line-up is:

• Anelos Epithemious’s Real Lives. The Shooting Stars regular tries to get to grips with the big issue of the environment by speaking to two experts. The cast also includes Katy Wix, Katherine Jakeways and Rufus Jones.

• Everyone Quite Likes Justin.Sitcom from stand-up Justin Moorhouse about a divorced local radio DJ just getting back into dating again. Coronation Street star Anne Reid plays his mum, and fellow comic Lloyd Langford is a work colleague.

• Mr & Mrs Smith. Comedian Will Smith’s sitcom about a couple whose year-old wedding is in crisis. Also starring Morwenna Banks, Geoffrey Whitehead and others.

• Pauline Pepys’ Dowry. Peep Show’s Olivia Colman plays the sister of the famous diarist in 1660 London. David Mitchell plays Samuel in a cast that also includes Sharon Horgan, Katherine Parkinson and Rebekah Staten.

• Antiquity. A ‘Goon-style sitcom’ set in an antique shop, starring Tim McInnerny and written by News Quiz writers Gareth Gwynn and John-Luke Roberts, and script edited by Father Ted’s Arthur Mathews.

Published: 23 Jun 2010