Comedy gets full series following pilot success

The BBC has ordered a full series of Mawaan Rizwan’s comedy Juice, following a successful pilot last autumn.

In the six-part series, the comedian plays Jamma, who desperately wants to be the centre of attention, but his family are constantly stealing his thunder.

Rizwan’s real brother Nabhaan and mother Shahnaz play versions of themselves, with Russell Tovey as Jamma’s boyfriend and comic Jeff Mirza as his father.

Rizwan, who also wrote the show, said: ‘I feel very blessed to be given the opportunity to make my dream project. It’s about a guy who loves attention and makes everything about himself. It is NOT autobiographical."

Jonathan Blyth, director of comedy for BBC Studios,  which is distributing Juice, called it ‘a hugely ambitious show’.

The show will air on BBC Three and iPlayer, it was announced at the Corporation’s Festival of Comedy in Newcastle this afternoon.

Nabhaan Rizwan is an established actor, whose biggest role to date was as Raza Shar in BBC One drama Informer, while Shahnaz is one of the most recognised faces in Asia after landing a lead role in the TV series Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (This Is Love),  one of India’s top-rated shows. She was discovered by a Bollywood producer after appearing on Mawaan ’s YouTube channel in 2012. She was also in the cast of BBC Three's Hounslow Diaries.

Last year, former Taskmaster contestant Rizwan was appointed as the BBC’s ‘young people’s comedy laureate’ to inspire new talent to start writing and performing. 

Made by: VAL production
Director: Rosco Five
Producer: Hannah Moulder
Commissioning editor for the BBC: Tanya Qureshi.

Published: 11 May 2022