Horrible Histories cast create new Sky comedy Yonderland
Sky1 has announced today that the principle cast of Horrible Histories (pictured), the hit CBBC sketch show, will be joining the channel to make a new fantasy family-friendly comedy series.
Yonderland will be written by and star the six main lead actors from the award-winning BBC sketch show: Mathew Baynton, Martha Howe-Douglas, Simon Farnaby, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond.
The eight-part series, which will be produced by Working Title, will also feature puppet characters created by Baker Coogan, long-time collaborators of the Jim Henson Company.
The show will follow the adventures of 33-year old Debbie Maddox (Howe-Douglas), a mum who unexpectedly finds herself in an extraordinary world inhabited by a collection of eccentric characters, some of whom happen to be puppets, with only an Elf by her side.
The story begins with Debbie dropping her five year old twins off for their first day of school. For the first time in five long years, she has her days entirely to herself, and by the time she's cleaned the house from top to bottom and become frighteningly addicted to a daytime quiz show, she starts to think she may be going mad. And perhaps she is, as a wildly enthusiastic Elf appears from a kitchen cupboard, telling her that she is needed in another world, for she is their unlikely saviour - The Special One.
Debbie is convinced that there has been some kind of mistake, but nevertheless decides that whatever the Elf might need her to do can't be any worse than watching another episode of What's in the Box?, so she lets him drag her through a portal to the other world.
There, Debbie does her best to help incompetent knights, monks who are incapable of lying and a race of people intent on firing the cleverest amongst them into the Sun, the question is: can she fulfil the prophecy and save the world from the dark forces that are gathering to subdue it, and will she make it back to the real world in time for the school pick up?
Sky's Lucy Lumsden says: "We are delighted to give the incredibly talented Horrible Histories cast the opportunity to write and star in a brand new show for the whole family on Sky1."
Working Title's Juliette Howell adds: "This brilliant team have created a really fresh, bold and original show. We're thrilled that it's going to form part of Sky's ambitious comedy output."
Yonderland will be shown on Sky1 this autumn. The next series of Horrible Histories is due to air on CBBC this Spring.