Steen Raskopoulos joins as co-star

John Kearns has begun filming BBC Three’s new spoof police show Top Coppers.

In the six-part series, he plays oddball detective  Mitch Rust opposite Australian comic Steen Raskopoulos as his partner John Mahogany.

Raskopoulos, who was nominated for best newcomer at last year's Edinburgh Comedy Awads, has replaced Irish comic Conor McKenna – from the Foil, Arms and Hog sketch trio – who took the role in a pilot last year.

The cast also includes Rich Fulcher as Grady, the corrupt mayor of Justice City, character comedian Gabby Best as forensics expert Helga and Donovan Blackwood as the brow-beaten chief.

A cast of familiar comedy faces have also been lined up to play villains, including Kayvan Novak, Paul Ritter, James Fleet, Terry Mynott, Simon Farnaby, Adam Riches, Lydia Rose Bewley, Jessica Gunning and Danny John-Jules.

Kearns, 2013's Foster's best newcomer, has previously said of the show: ‘It’s like Airplane, very silly. Its about two cops, who go around fighting crime basically.

‘This is exactly what I wanted to do. My 15-year-old self would be ecstatic. I’m doing everything that I dreamed of when I was a kid.’

The series was created by Cein McGillicuddy, who also directs, and Andy Kinnear.

BBC commissioning editor Chris Sussman said: ‘I couldn't be more excited about Top Coppers. John Kearns and Steen Raskopoulos are two of the most exciting young comedians around, and the scripts are some of the funniest I've read in ages. It's fast-paced and brilliantly silly, and I don't know anyone who won't love it.’ 

The show, which will air later this year, is being made by Roughcut Television. 

The Top Coppers idea has been around since 2006, when Kinnear and McGillicuddly released an online film, which was remade more professionally in 2012 with Kayvan Novak.

Published: 25 Feb 2015