Robert Llewellyn's car-based chat show heads to TV

Red Dwarf star Robert Llewellyn has landed his own chatshow, based on his internet series in which he interviews guests while giving them a lift in his car.

TV channel Dave has commissioned ten half-hour shows based on his web format Carpool, which will be funded entirely by its sponsor, Toyota Prius.

Llewellyn has been recording shows himself for the past 18 months, calling it ‘a “narrowcasting” experiment – you can’t really call it broadcasting – an attempt to reach the audience directly through new technology’.

He added: ‘The real joy is that people talk openly and intimately and it's not only funny but a real insight into the interviewees.’

Previous guests have included David Baddiel, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, David Mitchell and most of his Red Dwarf co-stars.

Dominic Bowles, from producers RDF Contact, told MediaGuardian: ‘Having started as an online project before transferring to mainstream TV with the help of a commercial funding partner, Carpool is in many respects a case study for modern TV production.’

Here’s the Stephen Fry episode, or visit Llewellyn’s website LlewTube to watch more:

Published: 30 Jun 2010