Ben Elton to record TV special
- Ben Elton is set to record his recent stand-up show, Ben Elton Live for television
- The comic will "return to the London stage to explore the modern age"
Ben Elton is set to record a new TV special.
The writer and stand-up comedian will be filming his recent stand-up show, Ben Elton Live, in the spring with tickets now available for the recording.
Producers say: "1980s era-defining comedian Ben Elton returns to the London stage to explore the modern age.
"As the 'Godfather' of modern stand-up, Elton's 1987 and 1988 shows Motormouth and Motorvation cemented him as one of the scene's most outspoken voices, with his left-leaning politics, ranting style, and quick wit capturing public consciousness.
"Since then, he's translated his comedy stylings into television (Blackadder, The Young Ones, Upstart Crow), film (All Is True), literature (Dead Famous, Stark, and 2019's Identity Crisis) and musicals (We Will Rock You, Love Never Dies), becoming a prolific and insightful creator with an unfettered ability to say it very much like it is - a much-needed talent in today's crisis and outrage ridden age!"
The show is believed to be being made by Phil McIntyre Entertainments, the production arm of his agent. No channel has been revealed to date.
Rising to prominence in the alternative comedy boom of the early 1980s, Elton was co-writer of shows including Blackadder, Spitting Image, The Young Ones and Mr Bean, and penned a number of his own sitcoms, including Happy Families, The Thin Blue Line and most recently, Upstart Crow.
Primarily working as a writer from the early 1990s, he returned to the stage in 2019 with a new stand-up tour. His show was warmly received by audiences and the press, gaining a notable number of four and five star reviews before its international run was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. London dates were finally staged over Christmas 2021.
He said in an interview last year: "I think I've just got a bit lucky in the last three years. I've had better reviews than I've ever had before. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm a bit older. People have got, I don't know, sick of hating me.
"I've never felt I was in fashion, actually. I didn't have a honeymoon period in terms of criticism. Although no one could have had a luckier start than I did, being commissioned to co-write The Young Ones at the age of 21."
Early 2020 also saw the launch of The Upstart Crow, a West End comedy play sequel to the television sitcom starring David Mitchell. Its run was cut short as the country went into lockdown due to coronavirus restrictions, and has yet to be restaged.