New C4 comedy from Paul Abbott

Shameless creator Paul Abbott is to write a new comedy-drama set in a scruffy police station ‘on the wrong side’ of Manchester.

Channel 4 has greenlit eight episodes of No Offence, which the broadcaster says is ‘set to shock, move and invite audiences to laugh themselves silly by turns’.

No casting or transmission details have yet been confirmed.

Abbott said: ‘I’m a big fan of well-told cop shows and jet-black social comedy, and I wanted to see how explosively we could bang two genres’ heads together.

‘No Offence is reared on wilder-than-average seeds and I've had a ball with the AbbottVision team in building this concept. It’s a tilted, hardcore blend of cop drama, family saga and social mayhem.’

Piers Wenger, Channel 4‘s head of drama added: ‘No Offence is the best of what the world has come to expect from a Paul Abbott script: characters you can adore, gags which practically blind you with their brilliance and plots which, while appearing outlandish, challenge the way you think about the world.’

Published: 14 May 2013