Tim Vine Travels In Time for Christmas
- Tim Vine Travels In Time is to return to TV screens for a new Christmas special
- A pilot episode was broadcast in September as part of the Comedy Playhouse strand
- The new episode will see Tim travel back to Tudor times to meet Anne Boleyn
Tim Vine's studio audience sitcom, Tim Vine Travels In Time, will be back on TV screens at Christmas with a new special.
His gag-packed time-travelling comedy format has been in development for a number of years, with a TV pilot finally broadcast in September as part of BBC One's Comedy Playhouse strand.
Written by and starring Vine, the sitcom sees his eponymous central character as proprietor of an antiques shop, which includes a grandfather clock that acts as a time machine when Tim gets inside. In the pilot episode, Tim was joined by Ore Oduba, who played himself and Robin Hood, as Vine travelled back to middle-ages Nottingham and defeated the dastardly Sheriff (Tim Key).
The pilot was well-received on social media and by most critics, although questions were raised about its time slot, with 10:35pm considered late for the family-friendly format.
Speaking about the next episode, the producers tease: "In the episode, our special guest arrives at Tim's antique shop, which is all decked out for Christmas with tinsel, lights and a grinning Tim. Our celebrity guest has with her an antique donkey Christmas tree ornament. The donkey has one ear missing. Tim vows to fix it and goes back to 1523 and the time of King Henry VIII.
"Tim meets Anne Boleyn (our special guest) who is lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Anne is distraught because nobody has RSVPed to the invites for the King's Christmas Party that she sent out weeks earlier, and King Henry is very angry about the whole situation. When the King meets Tim, he mistakes him for the New Court Jester (replacing the previous one who was executed for not being funny enough) and immediately puts him in charge of the entertainment for the upcoming party. Along the way Tim meets Jane Seymour, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and the Pope.
"Can Tim solve the mystery of the ignored party invites? Can he step up to the plate as the new Court Jester? And can he find a new antique donkey ornament and get back to the shop before Christmas Eve? Only time travel will tell..."
Produced by Baby Cow Productions, a new episode is due to be filmed at Elstree Film & TV Studios on 20th November (tickets), and is likely to be a key part of BBC One's festive schedule. Further casting details will be revealed in due course.