Sky orders seven comedy shorts

Witj Jordan Brookes, Jessica Fostekew, Rosie Jones and Desiree Burch and more

Sky has ordered a new series of comedy shorts featuring th likes of Jordan Brookes, Jessica Fostekew, Rosie Jones and Desiree Burch (pictured).

The seven films cover topics including dating anxiety, rural life, pub quizzes and imaginary friends and will air on Sky Arts and YouTube next year.

They are:

Life’s A Pitch: A neurotic, self-destructive copywriter goes to increasingly idiotic extremes to save face and keep up appearances as his work life spirals out of control. Written by Nathan D’Arcy Roberts, starring Jordan Stephens, Aurie Styla, Alex Theo, Shazia Mirza and Ruairi McInerney. Made by CPL Productions and Licklemor Productions with producer Antonia Miller and director: Rosie Gaunt Mathieson.
Diane from Accounts (working title): A charity worker who has always been hardworking, dependable but ultimately invisible, makes one fateful decision that turns her life upside down. Who knew being bad could be so good! Written by Desiree Burch and Jayshree Patel (based on an idea by Burch and Grace Ofori-Attah), starring Desiree Burch. Made by CPL Productions and Licklemor Productions with producer Antonia Miller.
Past Caring: Three very different women, Rosie, Jen and Maureen, share one similarity: they are all carers. We join these women on one of their few nights off, where they come together for some time away from their duties, which invariably involves Rosie trying, and failing, to flirt with a 'fit girl'. However, can they ever really separate themselves from being carers? Written by and starring Rosie Jones and Jen Brister. Additional cast includes Maureen Younger alongside Leslie Ash. Made by Sky Studios and Ranga Bee Productions with producer Kevin Muyolo and director Bethan Seller.
Real Friends: Cassie and Mr Whippy have grown up together; they’ve sat in detention together, suffered puberty together, been bullied together and are soon to be unemployed together. Only snag is, one of them is real and the other is not. And now Mr Whippy, for her own survival, is fighting to remain relevant in Cassie’s life when she meets a … man. This mix of animation and live action comedy is written by and stars Rachel Stubbings and Jessica Fostekew. Additional cast includes Daniel Lawrence Taylor, Luke McQueen and Alison Spittle. Produced by Sky Studios and Ranga Bee Productions with producer Kevin Muyolo and directors: Rachel Stubbings and Ben Greene.
Seen: Dating is never easy but for Jordan, it leaves him a warbling mass of uncertainties. A clueless newborn in the body of a young man. This 'existential Mr. Bean' sees Jordan attempt to calm himself, which leads to a spiral of anxiety dreams from visions of cattle slaughter to a flashback of his ex- girlfriend half joking that she can't imagine him having parents. For Jordan, it's hard to know which vision is worse. Written by and starring Edinburgh comedy award winner Jordan Brookes. Additional cast includes Nimisha Odedra and Kieran Hodgson. Produced by Sky Studios and Ranga Bee Productions with producer Hayley Sterling and director Jack Carrivick.
Silo: Two very different Londoners, Marcus and Dipesh suddenly find themselves in rural Norfolk, the last place their missing business partner and brother-in-law’s phone was active. Drenched in urban arrogance, they find rural life to be nowhere near as idyllic and time-warped as Countryfile would have you believe. Written by Tom Neenan, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Sunil Patel. Starring Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Sunil Patel. Additional cast includes Tom Neenan, Sarah Hadland and Mark Heap. Oroduced by Sky Studios with producer Hayley Sterling and director Phoebe Burke.
Six Foot Something: Meet Folake, 6ft 5in, fabulous and loving it while playing professional basketball in the states...but less so now, as due to injury, she's been sent back home to London. Folake finds that without basketball she's just...tall...and broke. In many ways it’s like being a celebrity without ANY of the perks. Meanwhile her DMs are full of men who have a tall girl fetish and are willing to pay to just be in her presence and some who want a little bit more, so, maybe it’s time to make some money - as long as no one finds out? Written and created by Yemi Oyefuwa. Produced by Hat Trick Productions with produce: Claire Broughton.
Previous successes from Sky’s Comedy Shorts programme include Samson Kayo’s paramedic sitcom Bloods and Dreamland, which won a Bafta in 2018 and has since been commissioned into a full series.

Jon Mountague, director of comedy for Sky Studios, said: ‘Sky’s comedy shorts programme is testament to the huge writing and performance talent in the UK and it’s incredibly fulfilling to see past shorts transfer to full series.

‘Our new comedy shorts season will aim to bring new diverse voices to Sky and I’m looking forward to unearthing the next Dreamland or Bloods – and beyond.’