New British sitcom series launches online
A brand new half-hour British sitcom has launched online - sidestepping the traditional mediums of television and radio.
Meet The Adebanjos has been created by two 26 year-old Britons: Andrew Osayemi, a former trader, and Debra Odutuyo, a TV producer. The show is a broad family-orientated sitcom about a family living in Peckham, South London. The household consists of Nigerian parents, British children and an unwanted extended family. The 8-part series, filmed in a studio on a budget of £175,000, observes larger-than-life dad Bayo Adebanjo as he struggles to impose his old-fashioned African values on his family.
The producers explain: "It features a cast of loud and unforgettable characters, and highlights the multi-generational and multi-cultural family dynamics that take place when traditional African parents raise British-born children. These families exist all over the UK, yet are not currently represented on mainstream television."
Having failed to obtain a commission for their sitcom idea from a TV network, Odutuyo and Osayemi decided to establish their own production company and raise the funds independently to make the eight episodes. The business model behind the show has attracted investors curious to see if it is possible to create a hit sitcom without the backing of traditional broadcast media.
Three episodes of Meet The Adebanjos will be made available online for free, where it is hoped they will attract a fanbase who will then be willing to buy the full series on DVD. MTA Productions also aims to recoup some the production costs by selling the show to foreign TV stations, particularly on the African continent where there is a demand for family-friendly comedy.
The trailer for the sitcom is below. The first episode can be viewed now at www.MeetTheAdebanjos.com
Andrew Osayemi explains more about the project in this article about the production