Guest stars announced for Sky Atlantic's This Is Jinsy
Sky Atlantic HD has announced a number of famous guest stars will appear in its first original comedy commission, This Is Jinsy.
Overseen by Psychoville director Matt Lipsey, This Is Jinsy is an eccentric eight-part comedy written by and starring newcomers Chris Bran and Justin Chubb.
The surreal sitcom, which started out as a pilot on BBC Three last year, follows Arbiter Maven and Operative Sporall as they keep a close eye on the 791 residents of the island of Jinsy. Life in the sitcom is rather Orwellian, as each colourful member of the community - from local 'folk dribbler' Melody Lane to weather monk Tracee Henge - is monitored by a system of surveillance cameras.
The first episode will guest star David Tennant as Mr Slightlyman, a corrupt, camp wedding planner with bad plastic surgery. Harry Hill will also make his debut in this episode, appearing in drag. He will play the sinister Joon Boolay, who delivers punishments to residents across the island from the safety of her TV studio.
Actors set to appear in other episodes of the sitcom include:
Catherine Tate, who will play Roopina Crale, Chief Editor of 'Glove Hygiene Monthly', who comes to Jinsy to interview Maven.
Jane Horrocks, who is also set to star in a new Sky sitcom about a supermarket, will play Mrs Stenton, the head teacher of The White Apron Play Group, with a peculiar attachment to a crow glove puppet.
Shakespearean actor Simon Callow is Threcker, an officious, intense ex-teacher of Maven's.
Kevin Eldon guests as Edery Molt, an eco-warrior who halts construction of a bridge that Maven builds on Jinsy.
Peter Serafinowicz plays conniving salesman Eric Bunt, who sports a slicked-down side parting and a cheap suit.
Veteran comedy actor Brian Murphy, best known for the sitcom George & Mildred, will play Melty Harris - a posh, disorganised and slightly inebriated man who wears an ill-fitting suit and cravat. He has spent his life attempting to put together a map of Jinsy.
Nigel Planer, best known to millions as Neil from The Young Ones, will take on the role of Man With No Nameworm.
Plus, Trinidadian-British actor Don Warrington, who played Philip in Rising Damp, will appear in This Is Jinsy as a character called Chief Thinker.
This Is Jinsy will also feature Colin Hoult as Seebry Mungerton, Marek Larwood as Caravel Didd-Onion, singer KT Tunstall as Briiian Raggatan, and Marcia Warren as Mrs Oon, the lead singer of folk-thrash-band Mool Perpya.
Meanwhile, the regular cast joining Chris Bran and Justin Chubb for all eight episodes will be Alice Lowe as Soosan Noop, Janine Duvitski as Mrs Goadion and Geoff McGivern as Trince. Jennifer Saunders is also involved, providing the voice of Miss Reason, who delivers island announcements. Emma Kennedy is also involved in various guises, and has script-edited the series.
Producers Chris Carey and James Dean say: "We have been overwhelmed by the calibre of support that This Is Jinsy has attracted. It's testament to the brilliant writing and extraordinary vision of Chris and Justin."
This Is Jinsy will air on Sky Atlantic HD and Sky Atlantic from September 2011. A preview trailer is below...