Sheridan Smith starring in new Sky comedy Rosie Molloy
- Sheridan Smith is to star in a new comedy about mental illness for Sky
- Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything is from the pen of Two Pints creator Susan Nickson
- The satellite broadcaster has ordered two series of the sitcom about a recovering addict and workaholic
Sky has commissioned a new comedy starring Sheridan Smith, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything will reunite the acclaimed stage and screen actor with Susan Nickson, writer of Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, and Smith's own BBC Three sitcom, Grownups.
Two five-part series have been commissioned from producers Hartswood Films, whose credits include Coupling, Men Behaving Badly and Sherlock. It will air on either Sky Max or Sky Comedy.
The series will star Smith in the titular role of anxiety and depression sufferer Rosie Molloy, following her and her family as she attempts to pursue a life free of addictions to alcohol, tobacco, food, sex, and much stronger narcotic substances alike.
A workaholic with a senior career in a high-end accountancy firm, Rosie is seen striving to recover from a spiral of self-destruction brought about by her relentless over-achieving and high-stress workload.
Susan Nickson has written the comedy having consulted extensively with a number of mental health professionals.
British Comedy Guide understands that the series was picked up off the strength of a pilot script, filming of which was cancelled amidst the effects of both the coronavirus pandemic and Smith falling pregnant. She gave birth to her first child, Billy, in May 2020.
Filming for the two series begins on location in Manchester shortly, with the first run expected to air later in 2022.
The single-camera comedy will mark Smith's formal return to comedy after establishing her name in BBC sitcoms including Two Pints, The Royle Family, and Early Doors.
In recent years the actor has featured in a number of acclaimed stage roles, including a long run as central character Elle Woods in the stage adaptation of Hollywood hit Legally Blonde, the eponymous role in Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic, and the Narrator in 2019's hit London Palladium revival of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She was most recently seen on screen in BBC drama Four Lives.
Appointed an OBE in the 2015 New Year Honours for her acting work, Smith has also won two prestigious Olivier Awards, a BAFTA and a National Television Award, amongst others.
Her other comedy credits include Inside No. 9, Gavin & Stacey, The More You Ignore Me, Jonathan Creek and a string of David Walliams's Christmas specials, most recently 2020's Jack And The Beanstalk: After Ever After.
Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything is being produced by Sarah Fraser and Elaine Cameron, and executive produced by creator Susan Nickson, Sue Vertue, and Sky comedy chief Jon Mountague.
The complete collection of hit 2000s BBC Three sitcom Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps is currently available on iPlayer, where it remains one of the platform's most-watched box sets.
Sky has not responded to British Comedy Guide's request for comment.