With Reggie Watts, Ronni Ancona, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Stevie Martin and Anna Crilly joining the cast

The Horne Section is to return to Channel 4 for a second series, with Reggie Watts joining the cast.

Six more episodes have been ordered following last year’s debut series which saw Taskmaster creator Alex Horne and his band try to put together a talk show from his London home.

Ronni Ancona, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Stevie Martin and Anna Crilly also join the new cast alongside offbeat musical comic Watts, who was the bandleader on James Corden’s American talk show until it came to an end earlier this year.

As well as being on a real high-profile talk show, Watts hosted the ill-fated US remake of Taskmaster, with Horne as his assistant.

Tim Key, and John Oliver will be returning as special guests, playing versions of themselves, alongside regulars Desiree Burch as producer Thora, Georgia Tennant as obstructive Channel 4 executive Ash and Camille Ucan as novice TV researcher Lucy.

No broadcast date has yet been confirmed for the second series.

Critics generally praised the first run, with The Sunday Times calling it ‘refreshingly funny and at times quite silly’, The Guardian calling it  ‘riotously fun’ and ‘somewhere between Flight Of The Conchords and The Goodies', while Chortle  said it was a ‘an understated delight"'

The Horne Section was formed at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe, and have made a hit podcast three Radio 4 series as well as appearing on The Last Leg, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. They were also the house band on Peter Crouch’s lockdown BBC One show, Save Our Summer.

» Review of The Horne ​Section Series One

Made by: Avalon
Producer: Matt Stronge
Director:  Barbara Wiltshire. 
Executive producers: Alex Horne, James Taylor, Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner 
Commissioned by: Channel 4 head of comedy, Charlie Perkins and commissioning executive, Joe Hullait.

Published: 26 Jun 2023