British Comedy Guide

Larry Rickard and Ben Willbond create alien comedy We Are Not Alone

Monday 22nd November 2021, 12:20pm

Image shows from L to R: Ben Willbond, Laurence Rickard
  • Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond have created a new comedy for Dave called We Are Not Alone
  • The two-hour scripted comedy special is set on Earth six weeks after aliens have conquered the planet
  • The creators say: "We are so excited to be bringing this project to you puny Earthlings"

Ghosts stars Larry Rickard and Ben Willbond have created We Are Not Alone, a scripted comedy for channel Dave in which Earth is run by aliens.

The two-hour special will air on the channel in 2022.

UKTV explains: "Set six weeks after aliens have invaded and completely conquered Earth, We Are Not Alone explores the culture clash between humankind and its new alien masters, who are trying to make sense of a planet so confusing and idiotic that its inhabitants can't even agree which side of the road to drive on."

Larry Rickard and Ben Willbond say: "We are so excited to be bringing this project to you puny Earthlings. We've never attempted anything so ambitious or ridiculous, so we're thrilled to be joined on the adventure by such an incredible cast and phenomenal crew."

The comedy is being developed by production company Big Talk (The Outlaws), with Fergal Costello (Nova Jones) directing, and Philip Leach (No Offence) as producer.

Commissioner Pete Thornton says: "The premise of this highly original special is as richly comic as it is timely. We've seen shows before about alien invasion, but none have grappled with how said aliens might try to govern and live alongside us after their (inevitably pathetically easy) victory. By observing the way we live through fresh alien eyes, Larry and Ben's remarkable script does a brilliant job of reflecting our topsy turvy world and pointing out what a bunch of idiots the human race really are - and that all things considered we might not actually be the best custodians of our increasingly fragile and damaged planet."

Channel director Cherie Cunningham adds: "This is one of the most ambitious productions Dave has ever undertaken, with a hilarious script full of great characters and vivid worldbuilding. We're thrilled to be working with Big Talk on bringing We Are Not Alone to Dave viewers."

Kenton Allen, CEO of Big Talk, adds: "Shining a light on how stupid humans are, through the prism of some stupid aliens, with the amazing crew we have assembled, will be stupidly good fun."

Casting for the feature-length comedy will be announced imminently.

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