Jack Docherty pilot Stop/Start confirmed for BBC Comedy Playhouse
- Jack Docherty's Radio 4 sitcom Start/Stop is to be piloted on TV
- Stop/Start (the title of the TV version) will be one of three Comedy Playhouse pilots
- Jack Docherty, Kerry Godliman, Nigel Havers, Laura Aikman, John Thomson and Sarah Hadland star
Stop/Start, a TV pilot based on Jack Docherty's hit Radio 4 sitcom Start/Stop, has been confirmed as one of the shows forming part of BBC One's next Comedy Playhouse season.
The pilot, which British Comedy Guide first reported on last year, is a studio sitcom about three marriages in various states of disrepair.
The BBC says: "Rob and Cathy have been married for ages and it shows. Evan and Fiona's marriage is one big, noisy argument. David and Georgy have just moved in next door to Rob and Cathy, putting the cat amongst the pigeons."
However, the format has a twist. Producers explain: "When life gets tricky in these relationships, the characters are able to stop the action, explain themselves directly to the audience and start it all up again."
Start/Stop has run on Radio 4 for two series, with the station currently hoping to record more. The show has proved popular with listeners, with the most recent series an extended-length 8 episode commission.
The programme is written solely by Docherty, who will also play Rob (the character was called Barney in the radio version). Having risen to fame in Channel 4 series such as Absolutely, Mr Don & Mr George and The Jack Docherty Show, the comic writer and actor's most recent on-screen credits include Scotland In A Day, Badults and Scot Squad.
Kerry Godliman and John Thomson from the radio series reprise their roles, however Nigel Havers, Laura Aikman and Sarah Hadland take over from Charlie Higson, Sally Bretton and Fiona Allen.
Executive Producer Steven Canny says: "Stop/Start is a big, bold, funny show with an outstanding cast, and it develops a genuinely unique relationship with the audience both in the studio and at home. These are superbly honest scripts with a ton of great jokes. Jack Docherty is, officially, a very funny man and the audience will instantly recognise the emotional highs and lows he's writing about."
The pilot, which was recorded in Glasgow in March last year, was overseen by Mrs. Brown's Boys director Ben Kellett.
Stop/Start will be shown on BBC One later this year, alongside fellow Comedy Playhouse pilots Hospital People and Broken Biscuits.