Matt Berry's Year Of The Rabbit casting revealed
- Sally Phillips and Alun Armstrong are amongst the cast revealed for Year Of The Rabbit
- The period sitcom is set in Victorian London, and stars Matt Berry, Susan Wokoma and Freddie Fox
- Jill Halfpenny, Keeley Hawes, Paul Kaye and Matthew Holness also have roles in the show
Channel 4 has revealed further casting details for its upcoming Victorian-set comedy, Year Of The Rabbit.
Starring Matt Berry and written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil with additional material by Berry, the IT Crowd actor stars as Detective Inspector Rabbit, a "hardened booze-hound cop" in Victorian Whitechapel.
Channel 4 adds: "He's aided and abetted by his new partner Wilbur Strauss (Freddie Fox) and the country's first female police officer, Mabel Wisbech (Susan Wokoma), as they bring justice to the streets of the East End."
Production is currently under way on the six-part sitcom, which is expected to broadcast later this year.
A star-studded guest cast has today been announced. Alun Armstrong plays Rabbit's boss and Mabel's father, Chief Inspector Wisbech, whilst Paul Kaye is Rabbit's nemesis, D.I. Tanner.
Jill Halfpenny plays Flora, Rabbit's ex; Keeley Hawes is "the mysterious" Lydia; and Sally Phillips plays Princess Juliana of Bulgaria.
Also confirmed to be appearing in the show are David Dawson, Ann Mitchell, Alistair Petrie, Matthew Holness and Craig Parkinson.
Keeley Hawes said: "It's great to be working with Matt, Susan and Freddie on such a brilliantly original show. Lydia is such an enigmatic character. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable, bonkers experience."
Sally Phillips commented: "I can report that there is literally nothing more pleasurable than playing a haughty, 19th Century, pansexual, Bulgarian autocrat with access to guns. I may have peaked."
Jill Halfpenny added: "I'm thrilled to be a part of Year Of The Rabbit. It's an amazing creative team and I've had the best time making it."
The series is directed by BAFTA-nominated Ben Taylor and produced by Hannah Mackay. It is an Objective Fiction production.
Initial images of key supporting cast members Armstrong, Halfpenny, Phillips and Hawes have also been released:
