Ex-Egghead CJ de Mooi writes a sitcom

Man About The House star Sally Thomsett signs up to the pilot

Former Eggheads star CJ de Mooi is trying to raise enough money to shoot a pilot of a sitcom he’s written.

The quizzer turned actor has persuaded Man About The House star Sally Thomsett to appear in the comedy – which would be her first screen acting role in more than 40 years.

And he says that if a broadcaster picks up the series, John Challis – best known as Boycie from Only Fools And Horse – and Ewen MacIntosh, aka Keith from The Office, are lined up to star, too.

De Mooi is keeping the premise of the show close to his chest, but it is called Together and he says it is ‘a modern twist on a very well-trodden classic sitcom scenario, based on a family’.

But he added: ‘There are a couple of original ideas in it and the dynamic between the characters is something I don’t think we’ve seen before.’

He told Chortle: ‘It's a family-based sitcom where the members are suddenly thrown back together by circumstances. It will have moments and storylines of poignancy but has an uplifting and always positive theme.’

De Mooi says he was inspired to get the project off the ground by hit Canadian comedy Schitt's Creek. Creator Dan Levy pitched the show to several broadcasters, including HBO and Showtime, who rejected it before it was eventually picked up by Canada’s CBC. However, the show only became a bone fide hit when it was streamed by Netflix.

De Mooi has launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise £5,000 to shoot a pilot this summer and have it ready to show broadcasters by September.

In a video soliciting contributions, he said: ’I first had the idea quite a few years ago but never had the confidence in myself, or the project, to do anything about it.

‘As lockdown wearied on, I started binge-watching Schitt’s Creek by the showrunner Dan Levy and I was so impressed by the quality of the show, and of course how funny it was, but also that it was a personal project for Dan and how much of himself he put into it.

‘And I started thinking Together is a project that I’ve developed, co-written, I’m going to hopefully appear in, and co-produce, so maybe somebody would be interested in it. I started making a few calls and the enthusiasm I got was absolutely amazing.’

He said he was fundraising to ensure all cast and crew could get some pay - even though many were prepared to work for free given the lack of alternatives lockdown. ‘But I refuse to let that happen,’ he said.

‘This is a hugely important project for me personally,’ he added. ‘I genuinely think we’ve got a funny and original and engaging idea here. I do think it’s something people will want to see and will be engaged by.’

De Mooi has offered backers cameo appearances and speaking roles in the show if it is commissioned, although that is likely to fall foul of broadcasters’ agreements to pay actors and extras properly.

The star previously benefitted from crowdfunding when supporters rallied to his aid when he faced losing his home in 2019 when ruinous legal costs drove him to bankruptcy. Almost £6,000 was raised to help him get back on his feet.

A former model with a troubled childhood, De Mooi was axed from BBC Two’s Eggheads in 2016 after he faced false claims he'd sexually assaulted a man on a night out. He also breached his accuser’s anonymity online, which led to massive legal bills.

His financial problems were exacerbated in 2016 when he fought extradition to the Netherlands over claims he had killed a homeless man in Amsterdam 28 years earlier. In his autobiography, he described punching a mugger in the face and pushing him into a canal but the allegations that this was a murder were subsequently dropped.

He has subsequently taken to posting daily positive messages on his Twitter feed CJ’s Happy Place, based on the belief that ‘we all need a happy place to smile’.

Thomsett, 70, shot fame in the Railway Children in 1970, while her other credits include Straw Dogs and the BBC drama series Take Three Girls.

However, she disappeared from screens in the late 1970s, and in a recent interview said that when she was ready to come back to work, the TV landscape had changed in favour of reality shows and she could not land any suitable roles.

‘I’ve done a few chat shows and things like that, but actual acting is what I want to do,’ she said. ‘I’d say the chances of that happening are zilch.’

However, she did make an appearance on a ‘child stars’ edition of Pointless Celebrities last weekend, where she was paired with Outnumbered’s Tyger Drew-Honey.

Here is De Mooi’s video appeal for funding:

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