Denise Welch to star in Dave sitcom pilot about a "suspect" psychic
- Dead Canny stars newcomer Sarah Balfour as a so-called psychic caught up in a police investigation
- Written by Anna Costello, the sitcom pilot also stars Denise Welch, Mark Benton and Fraser Ayres
- Airing this summer, Dead Canny is executive produced by Ayres and his wife Minnie Ayres for their TriForce Productions company
Loose Woman Denise Welch co-stars in a new Dave sitcom pilot about a so-called psychic caught up in a murder investigation, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
The former Coronation Street star, whose credits also include the BBC trans romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl (pictured) and Benidorm, co-stars in Dead Canny alongside Mark Benton (Early Doors, City Lights) and Fraser Ayres (The Smoking Room).
Currently filming and set to air this summer, newcomer Sarah Balfour takes the lead role of Kay, a questionable young psychic from Consett, Co. Durham, whose ability to see dead people not only earns her a few quid cash-in-hand down the local pub, but also lands her as the prime suspect in a murder enquiry.
Written by Anna Costello, who hails from Consett, the half-hour pilot was commissioned as part of UKTV's WriterSlam competition, an initiative with TriForce Creative Network aiming to "shine a spotlight on diverse and emerging talent".
The plot has echoes of comedian Tom Binns' character Ian D Montfort, the "Sunderland Psychic" who is not always successful at distancing himself from local serial killer The Sunderland Psycho.
Dead Canny's cast also includes Dean Bone, Aryana Ramkhalawon, Laoise Sweeney, Steph Lacey and Rhea Bailey. The director is Theresa Varga (Lagging).
The pilot is executive produced by Ayres and his wife Minnie Ayres for their TriForce Productions company (Sorry, I Didn't Know), with Jon Macqueen (Sliced, PhoneShop) as producer.
Speaking when the pilot was announced, alongside three others - The Other Half, written by Kate Reid and Zak Ghazi-Torbati, Holier Than Thou by Misha Adesanya and Perfect by Laurence Clark - UKTV commissioner Sarah Asante said: "I was delighted to join the UKTV scripted comedy team just as they had launched a search for emerging diverse writers. The added commitment from the Dave team by offering the initiative a transmission target set the bar really high for our search. We have proudly developed shows that organically span the nations and regions, showcasing the breadth of storytelling from across the UK.
"This initiative has demystified the script to screen process in a unique way and has nurtured enormous growth in confidence and vision from the writers, which has been a pleasure to witness. It's been heartening for us at UKTV to see what can happen when we invite new writers to share their dreams and talents with us and the wider industry. I also want to thank our impressive production partners for taking this leap and going on this journey with us."