Rose Matafeo's comedy to return... with the comedian as director

Rose Matafeo’s romcom Starstruck is to return for a third series.

Six more half-hour shows have been commissioned for BBC Three picking up the story of millennial Londoner Jessie (Rose Matafeo) and her romance with movie star Tom (Nikesh Patel).

For the first time, Matafeo will also be directing the series along with fellow comic Alice Snedden. The pair write the show with another comedian, Nic Sampson.

Matafeo said: ‘A third? Sure. Fine. I’m truly thrilled to bring this incredibly talented cast back for a third instalment, and equally excited to clamber into the director’s seat alongside my nice friend Alice Snedden who I cannot seem to get rid of.’

BBC comedy commissioner Gregor Sharp said: ‘Starstruck is a blast of fresh comedy air, perfectly capturing the emotional mayhem of a new relationship with sharp wit, dry humour and a truthful eye - we can’t wait to see what Rose and the team have in store for Jessie and Tom in the new series.’

The commission comes after the first two series attracted more than 8.2million streams on BBC iPlayer. It is also available on US steaming service HBO Max.

Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for the platform, said: ‘Rose has created a show that strikes just the right balance of heart and humour. Starstruck is exactly the kind of rom-com that we love at HBO Max, and we are so happy to see Jessie and Tom’s story continue.

Starstruck has aired in 96 countries, from Matafeo’s native New Zealand to  Latin America, Nepal and  Indonesia.

Matafeo previously directed three episodes of the New Zealand comedy Golden Boy, about the family of a star rugby player, the was co-created by Sampson.

Produced by: Avalon
Executive producers: Rob Aslett, Jon Thoday, Cath Gagon, Richard Allen-Turner, Rose Matafeo, and Gregor Sharp
Series producer: Toby Welch
Directed by: Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden
Commissioned by: BBC Three Controller Fiona Campbell and BBC Comedy
Commissioning Editor: Gregor Sharp

Published: 13 Jun 2022