Latest news with #Bill'sIncluded
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon lands new role – with striking Uncle Bryn likeness
Gavin and Stacey star Rob Brydon has landed an exciting new role as he plays an oddball, while Michael Palin is back doing comedy as BBC line up host of new funny shows Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon has landed a new comedy series as part of a host of new BBC sitcom announcements. Rob plays middle-aged divorcee Bill Beam who staves off financial ruin by renting his spare rooms to students. The character sounds a bit like Uncle Bryn from Gavin & Stacey. Warm-hearted and eager but neurotic and slightly overbearing, Bill is thrilled by the youthful energy his lodgers bring – but baffled by their indifference to his laminated house rules and colour-coded cutlery. He's torn between wanting to be part of the gang – sharing banter, keeping up with trends – and clinging to his role as responsible adult. The show, called Bill's Included, is written by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen. Rob Brydon says: 'I can't wait to get started with this, to speak the wonderful words written by Alex and Ben who've done such a great job on the script.' Brydon's comedy was one of a host announced by the BBC yesterday at their own comedy festival in Belfast which include new projects for Diane Morgan and Lenny Rush. The Office star Mackenzie Crook has also written a new project which will see a return to comedy for Monty Python star Michael Palin. The line up includes: Diane Morgan sitcom Ann Droid about a social humanoid robot designed to keep elderly people company, exploring the hilarious intersection of technology and human connection Supernatural family sitcom Reluctant Vampire starring BAFTA winner Lenny Rush Small Prophets , created by BAFTA winner Mackenzie Crook, starring Pearce Quigley, BAFTA winner Sir Michael Palin and BAFTA winner Sophie Willan Stuffed , starring Guz Khan as an office worker who gets an unexpected Christmas bonus and takes his family to Lapland, only to find that he has to pay the money back The return of series Only Child, Funboys, The Young Offenders and Golden Cobra BBC Director of comedy Jon Petrie said: 'The BBC continues to be the biggest single investor in original comedy content in the UK. And for the second year running eight out of the top 10 scripted comedies were on the BBC. Created, written by and starring some of the UK's most brilliant homegrown talent, I'm really proud of the shows we have announced today and can't wait for BBC viewers to see them.' He added: 'Great comedy always comes back to the fundamentals: brilliant characters, sharp jokes, a unique voice. Those are the elements that endure – not massive sets or casts of thousands. 'Our priority is to keep our shows affordable and distinctive, because comedy doesn't need explosions and continuous shots, it needs punchlines, authentic voices, and that gleeful point of view that no algorithm can touch.' Six part series Small Prophets is a comic tale of eccentric Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley) who, since his darling Clea disappeared seven years ago, has lived a very ordinary life. He eats Shreddies, works in a DIY store, visits dad Brian (Sir Michael Palin) and hopes for Clea to return. Filmed and set in and around Manchester the series incorporates visually stunning animation elements throughout as we tell a story of friendships and hope, the magical and the mundane, and where secrets and lies lurk in a suburban cul-de-sac. Mackenzie Crook said: 'Like all my best ideas, this one has been percolating for nearly a decade and is finally ready to see the light of day. It's wonderful to be working again with my friends Gill Isles and Pearce Quigley and to realise a long-term ambition of collaborating with animators Ainslie Henderson and Will Anderson.'
Wales Online
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon's massive comedy career update as BBC makes announcement
Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon's massive comedy career update as BBC makes announcement TV presenter and actor Rob Brydon will be back on our screens in a new BBC One comedy series (Image: Getty Images ) Would I Lie To You presenter and Gavin and Stacey star, Rob Brydon will be fronting a new comedy series for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The Baglan-born actor will become Bill Beam, a middle-aged divorcee who staves off financial ruin by renting his spare rooms to students in the new series, Bill's Included. The series is written by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen and produced by Baby Cow, the company founded by Rob's the Trip co-star, Steve Coogan and TV producer, Henry Normal. The series will include six 30 minute episodes of the comedy that we have become accustomed to with Rob Brydon. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Rob Brydon said: "I can't wait to get started with this, to speak the wonderful words written by Alex and Ben who've done such a great job on the script." His character has been described by the BBC as a "warm-hearted and eager but neurotic and slightly overbearing", which sounds very reminiscent of his incredibly famous Gavin and Stacey character. He is excited for the energy that his new young lodgers bring, although he can't quite fathom why they don't like his house rules or colour-coded cutlery. He's torn between wanting to be part of the gang - sharing banter, keeping up with trends - and clinging to his role as responsible adult. Article continues below I'm confused, are we not just describing Uncle Bryn? Regardless, the series looks at how the group navigate living together, emotional moments and the surprising parallels between university life and midlife crisis. The writers Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen, actually met at university and have used a lot of their own experiences to influence the series. The said: "When we first met as students, we bonded over Human Remains and Marion and Geoff. To now be writing a show in which Rob Brydon lives with students is both a dream come true and a weirdly specific full circle moment. "We're thrilled to be working with the amazing teams at Baby Cow and the BBC and can't wait to bring Bill Beam to life. Bill's Included, you're invited, we're excited." BBC's Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie added: "Rob Brydon has given us some of Britain's most beloved TV characters over the years and we're about to get another one! Article continues below "Paired with the razor-sharp writing talent of Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen, Bill's Included delivers exactly what audiences want - a warm, character-driven sitcom with genuine laughs and heart at its core. We're delighted to have this on BBC iPlayer and BBC One and can't wait for audiences to move in with Bill and his lodgers." They are yet to announce when the series will be available to watch, but keep an eye out for more information.
