His first in eight years

Filming has begun on Ben Elton’s new sitcom The Wright Way at the BBC’s studios in Salford.

The six-part sitcom – previously entitled Slings And Arrows – is about Gerald Wright, the fastidious manager of a council's health and safety department, played by David Haig.

It is Elton’s first sitcom in eight years, since the family comedy Blessed in 2005, which starred Ardal O’Hanlon and Mel Giedroyc. He since made the sketch shows Get A Grip with Alexa Chung for the BBC and Live From Planet Earth for Australia’s Channel Nine, which was pulled after three episodes. All of the shows were slated by critics.

However he said of his new venture: ‘All my happiest television memories concern BBC comedy and in particular BBC sitcoms.

‘It's an honour and a privilege to get the chance to be a part of that tradition again and I'm as excited today as I was when The Young Ones was commissioned 30 years ago.’

As well as Haig – who previously starred in Elton’s The Thin Blue Line – the cast also includes Mina Anwar, Toby Longworth, Joanne Matthews, Beattie Edmonson, Brenda Edwards, and Luke Gell.

The show will be filmed until March, for transmission on BBC One later in the year.

Published: 23 Jan 2013