4Music announces sketch show pilot Pop Sludge
- 4Music is to broadcast its first ever original comedy
- Pop Sludge is a sketch show pilot satirising pop culture
- Patrick Turpin, Steve Bugeja, Harrie Hayes, Samantha Baines and Jason Forbes star
4Music will broadcast its first ever original comedy next week, Pop Sludge.
A sketch show pilot, it is described as "a completely brand new format for the network, offering a hilariously damning view of celebrity culture, brought to you by some of the most exciting up-and-coming names in British comedy".
Co-owned by the Bauer Media Group and Channel 4 under their Box Plus Network venture, the music channel also broadcasts repeats of various reality shows, and comedies such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Bad Robots.
The episode will be broadcast on 4Music next Wednesday, 28th December, at 10pm. The channel can be found at Freeview 18, Sky 362 and Virgin 337.
Pop Sludge has been created by former BBC Radio Comedy staff writer James Bugg (Dead Ringers, Horrible Histories) and produced by Chris Davies.
They say: "Since the dawn of time, civilisation has been obsessed with celebrity. However, we're also obsessed with destroying stuff. Why not enjoy both at the same time? Let's destroy pop culture."
The pilot stars Patrick Turpin, Steve Bugeja, Harrie Hayes, Samantha Baines and Jason Forbes.
Writers include Jack Bernhardt (Dead Ringers, The Lentil Sorters), James Boughen (Shooting Stars, Mock The Week), Joe Hampson (Newsjack), Tom Coles & Ed Amsden (Have I Got News For You, Dead Ringers), Phoebe Walsh (Anna & Katy, The Midnight Beast) and Liam Beirne (The Now Show, It's Jocelyn).
Pop Sludge cast
Harrie Hayes: One-quarter of sketch troupe Zazu, Harrie played Verian in Wasted on E4 alongside Sean Bean, and will appear in 2017 film My Cousin Rachel with Rachel Weisz and Sam Clafin.
Steve Bugeja: Crowned the 2013 BBC Radio New Comedy Award winner, Steve has since appeared as a stand-up on Russell Howard's Stand Up Central and supported Russell Kane on his Smallness tour.
Jason Forbes: One-third of Foster's Comedy Award-nominated sketch group Daphne, Jason has been heard in Radio 4's Daphne Sounds Expensive and Newsjack, and seen in Tracey Ullman's Show and Professor Branestawm on TV.
Samantha Baines: Samantha has appeared in Lee Nelson's Well Funny People and Sunny D on the BBC and can also be seen performing in period dramas such as Call The Midwife, and most recently The Crown on Netflix.
Patrick Turpin: Patrick is a comedy performer who won acclaim this summer for his second solo Edinburgh show To Me, You Are Perfect. He has performed at festivals including Latitude, Glastonbury and Machynlleth.
Here are two preview sketches from the show:
Pop Sludge premieres on 4Music at 10pm on Wednesday 28th December 2016.