First photo from Buffering

Comedians Jessie Cave, Paul G Raymond, Rosa Robson and Janine Harouni have joined the cast of Iain Stirling’s semi-autobiographical new sitcom, Buffering.

ITV2 have today confirmed the comedy, loosely based on Stirling’s work as a children’s TV presenter, which Chortle first revealed in November 2019.

The broadcaster has also released the first photo from the show, above, in which Stirling’s character, also called Iain, is in a complicated relationship with a TV producer, played by Elena Saurel. Cave, Raymond, Robson and  Harouni play his flatmates.

The comedian, who found wider fame as the voice of Love Island,  wrote the six half-hour episodes with fellow stand-up Steve Bugeja. The show will be made by Avalon, whose management arm represents both comics.

Stirling said: ‘This show has been a passion project for me and Steve for years now so it’s a dream come true to see it get made. I cannot thank ITV2 enough for the faith they have shown in me over the years. Pinch yourself stuff.’

Paul Mortimer, ITV's head of digital channels, added:  ‘We hope this fresh take on a twentysomethings flat-share will sit perfectly alongside our other programmes.’

And executive producer Richard Allen-Turner praised ‘Iain and Steve’s brilliantly funny and razor-sharp millennial voices’,

Publicity blurb for Buffering – which is due to air later this year – explains: ‘As a generation who have been brought up to believe you must live the perfect life, these friends will discover it’s OK to fail, over and over again.’

Eleanor Tiernan and Christine Robertson will be co-writing some episodes under the Comedy 50:50 scheme that aims to improve gender equality in writing rooms.

Of Stirling’s co-stars, Cave is best known for her role as Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films;  Raymond’s credits include Black Mirror and The Windsors as well as sketch group In Cahoots;  Rosa is half of the live double-act Beard; while Harouni won the  BBC New Comedy Award in 2019, the same year she was nominated for the best newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe. The cast also includes Sean Sagar as the old flame of Rosa's character.

Stirling previously wrote about his stumbling journey to maturity in the book Not  F****** Ready To Adult: A Totally Ill-Informed Guide To Life, published in 2018

Created and written by: Iain Stirling and  Steve Bugeja

Director:  Martin Stirling 

Producer:  Jane Bell

Commissioned by: Paul Mortimer, ITV's head of digital channels and acquisitions and Nana Hughes, ITV's head of scripted comedy
Produced by: Avalon 

Executive producers: Richard Allen-Turner and Jon Thoday.

Published: 10 Mar 2021