Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Jamali Maddix pilot witches comedy
- Hex Shop is a short film about two witches who work in a comic book store
- The main characters are played by Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe and stand-up Jamali Maddix
Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Jamali Maddix are developing a comedy in which they play witches working in a comic book store.
The pair shot the unreleased short film, Hex Shop, in August in Soho in London. And plans are in place to pitch it to prospective channels as a pilot.
In an interview published by British Comedy Guide today, Ghosts and Stath Lets Flats star Smith-Bynoe reflects that "spending two days in a comic book store with Jamali is an experience many people cannot say they have had. Sorry to them."
Hex Shop is directed by Rosco 5, aka Gideon Beresford and Behnam Taheri, who specialise in fantasy-tinged humour and are "fucking ridiculous" he added.
Mondeo, the team's short released earlier this year, about a man reconnecting with his childhood imaginary friend, "is my favourite thing I've ever done."
Smith-Bynoe plays a rookie witch in Hex Shop who's still getting his spells wrong.
Phoebe Bourke and Emily Allen are the producers. The script is written by Bourke, who has directed stage shows for Rose Matafeo, Mae Martin, Jayde Adams, Kieran Hodgson and Darren Harriott among others. "She's in charge of us all so really she deserves all the credit" Smith-Bynoe noted. "I haven't seen any of it but I'm sure it's good because of the team behind it."
A former member of the improv troupe Battle Acts!, he is currently filming Series 10 of Death In Paradise, and will guest star in the upcoming paramedic sitcom Bloods on Sky One alongside Samson Kayo and Jane Horrocks. He has also joined also the cast for Gold's forthcoming series Murder They Hope, starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson.
And he has suggested to BCG that the third series of Ghosts will offer more insight into the backstories of ditzy Georgian noblewoman Kitty and Humphrey, the headless Tudor.
"I think the writers have a clear view in their head about the story bibles as they've had a vision across a few series" he said. "We gain little bits of info in the script but also in conversation. So I've managed to get snippets of back stories for characters like Kitty and Humphrey which hopefully we'll be seeing in the upcoming series. Spoiler alert: Humphrey gets beheaded."