Gold commissions new Comic Strip special
Gold has commissioned a new episode of The Comic Strip Presents..., satirising News International and its controversial executive, Rebekah Brooks.
Produced by Great Western Features for Gold, The Comic Strip Presents... The Red Top (a working title) marks a welcome return of the nation's favourite anarchic comedy collective.
Gold quip, "No one is safe from the irreverent wit of legendary British comedy filmmaker Peter Richardson in this surreal and hilarious script."
Described as an "outlandish 75-minute comic fantasy", the new one-off will tell the story of Rebekah (Maxine Peake), an innocent and beguiling Northern girl who accidentally becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets caught up in a seventies Watergate-style scandal.
Alongside Peake, series stalwart Nigel Planer will play Rupert Murdoch and Russell Tovey co-stars as Andy Coulson.
Johnny Vegas, Alexei Sayle, Harry Enfield, James Buckley and John Sessions will also appear, alongside Eleanor Matsuura as Wendi Deng.
Stephen Mangan will reprise his role as Tony Blair from 2011 special The Hunt For Tony Blair, and creator/director Peter Richardson will also make an appearance.
Peter Richardson says: "Like our previous Comic Strip satire - The Hunt For Tony Blair, which was set in the sixties - The Red Top! lampoons the phone hacking scandal and the world of politics and press proprietors, and is set in a colourful seventies Boogie Nights-style parallel universe with a disco soundtrack. I'm thrilled to have such a fantastic cast. It should be huge fun."
Commissioning Editor for UKTV, Simon Lupton said: "There's nothing quite like The Comic Strip anywhere else in the world of comedy and so it's incredibly exciting to be part of this next chapter. The script is wonderfully hilarious and playful, and as always the cast list is an embarrassment of riches. The Comic Strip history is littered with iconic moments, characters and performances, and I'm confident Peter and his team will be creating some more with this latest instalment."
Steve North, General Manager for Gold added: "Gold is the nation's go-to place for quality comedy and nostalgia, we are delighted to welcome Comic Strip back to the channel and look forward to seeing what anarchy Peter and Pete will bring to the new film about one of the hot news topics of the last 10 years."
The Red Top! will be the second outing of The Comic Strip on Gold, following the 30th anniversary special The Comic Strip Presents... Five Go To Rehab in 2012, three decades on from the group's Channel 4 debut Five Go Mad In Dorset in 1982.
The new film has been written by Peter Richardson alongside Pete Richens and Brigit Grant.
The special is expected to be broadcast on Gold later in 2015.