Milton Jones creating new sitcom for Channel 4
Stand-up comedy star Milton Jones is working on a sitcom for Channel 4.
Jones, probably best known for delivering surreal one-liners on Mock The Week and for his long-running Radio 4 sitcom Another Case Of Milton Jones, is set to record a pilot episode of House Of Rooms this summer. The "daft and silly" sitcom will form part of Channel 4's 2011 Comedy Showcase season.
House Of Rooms (a working title) has been written by Jones and fellow stand-up Dan Evans. The premise of the show is that Milton and his mother live in a big house together with lots of other tenants. The residents are out-of-control and Milton must do his best to try and restore order.
The programme is being made by Objective Productions, the company behind Peep Show, Pete Versus Life, and the forthcoming university-set Channel 4 comedy drama Fresh Meat.
Milton Jones confirmed the project to British Comedy Guide, explaining: "It's a Comedy Showcase pilot for Channel 4 which, at the moment, is called House Of Rooms - we'll see if that name lasts. It's about me with my mother in a big house with lots of tenants and me messing things up. Phil Clarke at Objective is in charge of it. I'm looking to cast the character of my mother in the next month... which will be interesting."
This new project will see Jones depart from his trademark 'gag merchant' persona. His previous TV, radio and live work has involved pun-driven scripts with rapid-fire jokes, but House Of Rooms will be a single-camera sitcom recorded on a closed set.
Jones tells us: "There are jokes in it but it's supposed to be character driven. It's a non-audience sitcom, so the jokes will be in the edit. I'm not standing there doing gags, but it's definitely odd and surreal and there will be some trademark stupidity. It is very daft and silly. Father Ted is a dangerous thing to compare it to, but it's that kind of silliness... but without a studio audience."
House Of Rooms is set to be filmed this August and September and will be broadcast as part of Channel 4's 2011 Comedy Showcase season in the autumn.
The comedian has a busy year ahead of him. He is set to record a fifth series of Another Case Of Milton Jones later this month and will appear on some episodes of the new Mock The Week series. He will also be performing at the Edinburgh Festival, before resuming his nationwide tour.
Jones recently performed to a field of cows as part of an advertising stunt for Laughing Cow cheese. To see footage from this field gig, plus read Jones' thoughts on one-liner comedy see our interview