British Comedy Guide

New British comedy TV series coming in 2022

Here's a preview of some of the exciting British comedy series coming to TV in 2022...

The Curse

The Curse

Channel 4, February

Featuring Tom Davies, and a number of the stars from People Just Do Nothing, The Curse is a comedy caper set in London in the early 80s. Inspired by the real-life Brink's-Mat robbery, it follows a gang of hopeless small time crooks who, through their own stupidity and poor judgement, find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest gold heists in history. Guide

The Witchfinder. Image shows from L to R: Witchfinder (Tim Key), Witch (Daisy May Cooper). Copyright: Baby Cow Productions

The Witchfinder

BBC Two, February

Tim Key and Daisy May Cooper star in this comedy series set in the 1600s. The six episodes follow a witchfinder and his suspect on a road-free road trip through an England gripped by civil war, famine and plague. The witchfinder's captive is the worst possible travel companion: an inquisitive, uncouth woman whose ability to prick his pomposity and ask uncomfortable questions turns a straightforward journey into a life-changing ordeal. Guide

Image shows from L to R: Morgana Robinson, Mathew Horne

Newark, Newark

Gold, March

Comedy by Nathan Foad about his childhood and adolescence in the Nottinghamshire market town of Newark, where his mother ran a chip shop. Morgana Robinson, Mathew Horne and Nina Wadia are amongst the stars. Guide

The Island. Image shows from L to R: Kemah Bob, Tom Allen, Jason Forbes

The Island

Dave, March

A new comedy format devised by James Acaster, Ed Gamble, Lloyd Langford and John Robins, with Tom Allen as host and Kemah Bob and Jason Forbes as co-hosts. Across the series four comedians compete to make their own personal dream desert island the best one. Guide

Romesh Ranganathan

Avoidance

BBC One

A new sitcom starring Romesh Ranganathan, which has just been announced. Described as "a warm and bittersweet comedy series", Avoidance follows a man with severe conflict avoidance issues who is forced to change for the sake of his son. Guide

Big Boys. Image shows from L to R: Jack (Dylan Llewellyn), Danny (Jon Pointing). Copyright: Roughcut Television

Big Boys

Channel 4

A comedy following two mismatched male friends thrown together at university. Created by Jack Rooke, it stars Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn as the quiet Jack, with Plebs star Jon Pointing as party animal Danny. Guide

Chivalry. Image shows from L to R: Bobby (Sarah Solemani), Cameron (Steve Coogan)

Chivalry

Channel 4

This series will see Steve Coogan starring as a producer who has to detoxify his film in the wake of the #MeToo movement. He's written the show with co-star Sarah Solemani, who plays a woke writer/director and mother of one who is paired together with Coogan's character by a cynical studio exec. Guide

Gaynor & Ray. Copyright: Tidy Productions

Gaynor & Ray

BBC One

The picture released by the BBC for this forthcoming pilot is quite the tease. It's already highly anticipated, as it stars Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones as two fifty-something newlyweds, both married for a second time. Guide

This Is Going To Hurt. Image shows from L to R: Shruti (Ambika Mod), Adam (Ben Whishaw)

This Is Going To Hurt

BBC Two

A comedy drama series based on Adam Kay's book about his time as a junior doctor. Ben Whishaw plays the character of Adam, who we find wending his way through the ranks of hospital hierarchy - junior enough to suffer the crippling hours, but senior enough to face a constant barrage of terrifying responsibilities. Guide

Am I Being Unreasonable?. Image shows from L to R: Jen (Selin Hizli), Nic (Daisy May Cooper)

Am I Being Unreasonable?

BBC One

Comedy thriller series about two friends, written by and starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli. It starts with Jen (Hizli) arriving in town with her son Harry and disrupting Nic's lonely life with fun, laughter and booze. Guide

Backstage With Katherine Ryan. Image shows from L to R: Tom Allen, Sue Perkins, Rob Beckett, Katherine Ryan. Copyright: Expectation Entertainment

Backstage With Katherine Ryan

Amazon Prime Video

Katherine Ryan welcomes a range of top stand-up comedians to perform in this new series for Amazon Prime. What sets it apart from other stand-up shows is there will also be in-depth backstage chats between the comedians. Guide

Image shows from L to R: Akemnji Ndifornyen, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lloyd Woolf, Joe Tucker

Black Ops

BBC One

A series telling the story of Dom and Kay, who join the Met police in the hope of cleaning up their community but are unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration as they become part of a powerful criminal enterprise, with their situation "quickly becoming more fiasco than Donnie Brasco". Guide

Ten Percent. Image shows left to right: Dan Bala (Prasanna Puwanarajah), Stella Hart (Maggie Steed), Jonathan Nightingale (Jack Davenport), Rebecca Fox (Lydia Leonard)

Call My Agent!

Amazon Prime Video

A UK version of the hit French comedy. The eight episodes, penned by W1A's John Morton, are set around a London talent agency where agents scramble to keep their star clients happy and their business afloat after the sudden death of its founder. Lydia Leonard, Jack Davenport, Maggie Steed and Prasanna Puwanarajah star.Guide

Emma Moran

Extraordinary

Disney+

The first UK comedy commission from Disney+. Extraordinary follows Jen, a young, self-aware woman who lives in a world where everyone has a superpower - except her. There's not much more official detail about this show yet, which is being written by Emma Moran (pictured). Guide

Funny Woman. Barbara Parker / Sophie Straw (Gemma Arterton)

Funny Woman

Sky Comedy

A comedy about a fictional British comedy actor, based on Nick Hornby's book, Funny Girl. Gemma Arterton plays Barbara Parker, a woman who has just been crowned Miss Blackpool - but there's got to be more to life than being a beauty queen in a seaside town, right? After a series of setbacks Barbara finds herself in unfamiliar territory: an audition for a TV comedy show. Guide

Hard Cell. Catherine Tate. Copyright: Leopard Pictures

Hard Cell

Netflix

Catherine Tate's new comedy. Tate plays multiple characters in a woman's prison, as a documentary crew follows the inmates and staff capturing the penal system. (Look out for The Nan Movie in cinemas in March, too.) Guide

Robert Popper

I Hate You

Channel 4

A new comedy by Friday Night Dinner creator Robert Popper. It focuses on two best friends in their 20s and their intense, messy friendship in today's intense, complicated world. Guide

James Corden

Mammals

Amazon Prime Video

A comedy drama about a troubled marriage, starring James Corden. Again, little else is known yet but it has been announced that Sally Hawkins will co-star in the six part series created by Jez Butterworth. Guide

Happy Birthday Mr Bean. Rowan Atkinson. Copyright: Tiger Aspect Productions

Man Vs Bee

Netflix

There's a fair amount of anticipation for this new series as Rowan Atkinson returns to Mr Bean territory with a new character. Over 10 short episodes, "a man finds himself at war with a bee while house-sitting a luxurious mansion. Who will win, and what irreparable damage will be done in the process?" Guide

Marriage. Image shows from L to R: Emma (Nicola Walker), Ian (Sean Bean)

Marriage

BBC One

Nicola Walker and Sean Bean play a married couple negotiating the ups and downs of their 30-year marriage in this four-part comedy drama created by Mum writer Stefan Golaszweski. Guide

Crackanory. Sheridan Smith. Copyright: Tiger Aspect Productions

Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything

Sky

In this new series by Susan Nickson, Sheridan Smith plays a highly-stressed workaholic. Rosie's been self-medicating in the worst way possible, and now the house of cards is about to come tumbling down around her. Guide

Sneakerhead. Russell (Hugo Chegwin)

Sneakerhead

Dave

This new three-part sitcom will be "shining a light on young working life in Britain." The half-hour episodes, set in a shop that sounds a bit like Sports Direct, will be lead by People Just Do Nothing star Hugo Chegwin alongside TV chef and grime artist Big Zuu, in his first television acting role. Guide

Dylan Moran. Copyright: Andy Hollingworth

Stuck

BBC Two

Dylan Moran's new sitcom, which co-stars Morgana Robinson. Dan and Carla are at a cross-roads. Dan has recently been made redundant, while Carla is wondering whether this is all she can expect from life. Add their age gap to the mix, and the re-emergence onto the scene of Carla's ex-girlfriend Maya, and it's no wonder that they're feeling stuck. Guide

Harry And Paul's Story Of The 2s. Image shows from L to R: Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse. Copyright: Balloon Pictures

The Love Box In Your Living Room

BBC Two

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse will celebrate 100 years of the BBC in this forthcoming sketch show special. If you saw Harry And Paul's Story Of The 2s you'll have a good idea of what to expect. Guide

Image shows from L to R: Ben Willbond, Laurence Rickard

We Are Not Alone

Dave

Set six weeks after aliens have invaded and completely conquered Earth, one off special We Are Not Alone will explore the culture clash between humankind and its new alien masters, who are trying to make sense of a planet "so confusing and idiotic that its inhabitants can't even agree which side of the road to drive on". It's been created by Ghosts stars Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond. Guide


Meanwhile, returning shows include The Mind Of Herbert Clunkerdunk, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, Meet The Richardsons, Kate & Koji, The Other One and The Outlaws - all expected before the end of the spring.

Other programmes coming back later in the year include Bloods, Code 404, Derry Girls, Doc Martin, Ghosts, Good Omens, Hypothetical, Inside No. 9, Not Going Out, Sex Education, Taskmaster and We Are Lady Parts.

For a complete list of productions check out our TV coming soon list


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Published: Monday 17th January 2022

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