...including a raft of pilots

BBC Wales has unveiled a number of new pilots as part of a month-long comedy season.

They are:

The Tuckers: A sitcom  set in the south Wales valleys about a family of chancers, ‘low on cash but high on spirit - determined to survive through any means necessary’. It has been written by Steve Speirs  – who played Big Alan in Stella and Richard Burbage in Upstart Crow – and who  played  Craster in Game of Thrones.

In My Skin: Which  follows the double life of 16-year-old Bethan Gwyndaf, and the reality of her home life, which is very different to the impression she gives her school friends. It stars Rhodri Meilir and Jo Hartley and a was a co-commission with BBC Three.

Outsiders: A new comedy-drama with songs dealing with mental health issues young people face.  It stars actor and singer Noel Sullivan from Hear’say as Tom, who thinks it’s time his youth group got in touch with their inner selves, outside. It has been written by five  emerging Welsh comedy writers – comedians, Amy Howerksa and Kiri Pritchard-McLean plus Darragh Mortell, Alan Harris and Sam Bees

Halfway: A comedy set in a burger van on the A470,  commissioned as part of BBC Wales’ Find Me Funny initiative to find new Welsh talent. The comedy is written by  Sion Edwards from Dolgellau.

As part of the next month’s Festival of Funny season, BBC Wales will also air Tourist Trap, the previously announced  mockumentary starring Sally Phillips, pictured. 

 Set around a fictional tourist board for Wales, the six-part series also stars Speirs  and comics Elis James and Mike Bubbins, and has been written by Sian Harries, Tudur Owen and Gareth Gwynn,.

The broadcaster has also announced a fuller line-up for  Stand Up For BBC Wales, the four showcase programmes revealed last month.

Pritchard-MacLean, Bubbins, Owen and Lloyd Langford will be joined by the notably not Welsh trio of Angela Barnes, Nish Kumar and Felicity Ward.

Paul Forde, commissioning executive for comedy development at BBC Wales says: ‘This season showcases the range of comedy talent that currently exists in Wales - from brilliant comedy performers through to comedy writers, all of whom are absolutely at the top of their game.’

As part of Festival of Funny, BBC Radio Wales will also be broadcasting comedy in its 6.30pm slot  – the same time Radio 4 airs comedy.

The programmes include a repeat run of Ankle Tag in which Speirs plays a fraudster dad who is released on parole and cons his way into living with his son (James); and the previously announced sitcom Home, written by Robin Morgan and set in a nursing home.

Published: 18 Sep 2018