Simon Bird directs Pls Like Series 3
- BBC Three sitcom Pls Like returns on Sunday 24th January for six new episodes
- Inbetweeners star, comedian Simon Bird, has directed Series 3
- The iPlayer show spoofs and satirises social media and its "influencers"
Pls Like, BBC Three's social media mockumentary, returns for a third series later this month.
A further six 15-minute episodes will be published on iPlayer on Sunday 24th January, and are the television directorial debut of actor and comedian Simon Bird, best known for starring in The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner.
Series 3 will broadcast on BBC One later in the season, whilst the complete first and second series will also return to iPlayer.
Starring and written by Liam Williams, Pls Like is a BAFTA-nominated series spoofing online influencers.
It follows as Williams's self-named documentary-maker character "investigates how the influencer industry has been changed by an unprecedented pandemic".
Producers Baby Cow explain: "Struggling documentary-maker Liam Williams teams up once again with online talent agent, and self-professed 'Influencer Tsar', James Wirm (Tim Key) to find out what it takes to become a successful influencer in a post-pandemic world.
"Hoping that what he learns can help him attract a younger audience for his politically charged passion project - a time-travel movie called 'Squad Coals' - Liam undertakes a series of challenges, including helping a greasy spoon appeal to hip Instagrammers, saving a struggling art gallery with a TikTok exhibition, and commentating on a huge YouTuber boxing match.
"But as Liam proceeds with his tasks, he is distracted by the cosy relationship developing between Wirm and the Government's new Minister for Influencers, Mungo Slate (Graham Dickson), as well as rumours of a scandal involving a TikTok mega-star and senior British politician."
Emma Sidi returns as Millipede, Jon Pointing plays Charlie South, Arnab Chanda is Hen, and Tom Stourton is back as DumpGhost.
New to Series 3 are Jonathan Livingstone (The Witches), Eleanor Nawal (Urban Myths), Seb Cardinal (Cardinal Burns) and Kemah Bob (Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club).
Liam Williams says: "It was a privilege to be able to make this series with such a talented and epidemiologically-conscious cast and crew. I stayed metres away from everybody else, washed my hands constantly, and didn't hug anybody the whole time. So just a normal shoot for me really."
Ben Caudell, Commissioning Editor for BBC Comedy, adds: "After a year when we've all been online more than ever, Liam's brilliant satire on influencers and the influenced couldn't be more timely. It's a comic must-watch, if you can muster the strength to drag your eyes off your phone for a few fleeting moments."