BBC orders 'Henpocalypse!' series
- Henpocalypse! will focus on five woman trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world
- Six episodes will be filmed and broadcast on BBC Two in 2023
- Writer Caroline Moran says: "I guarantee high drama, tons of jokes, massive surprises and lots of penis-themed pound shop tat!"
The BBC has ordered Henpocalypse!, a sitcom about five women on a hen weekend that takes place during the apocalypse, who must then survive in a world in where most of the population has been wiped out.
British Comedy Guide revealed in June a pilot had been filmed, and BBC Two has now announced it has ordered a six-part series.
Written by Caroline Moran (Hullraisers, Raised By Wolves), the comedy is described as "a high-energy comedy romp, through the eyes of five women on the ultimate hen weekend, which goes very wrong leaving them in the ultimate fight for survival".
The plot is described as follows: "When bridezilla-to-be Zara's hen-do is interrupted by the end of the world, she and her four fellow working-class West Midlander best mates wait out the breakdown of human civilisation in an isolated holiday cottage in Wales.
"Emerging from quarantine into the harsh new post-apocalyptic world, they find the male population has almost entirely wiped out and Britain is now a hellscape in which only the very fittest will survive. It's inevitable on a hen do there'll be fractious dynamics between friends so how will they come together to work out what to do with the male stripper, the only man who seems to have survived? Pitted against a group of radicalised pilates instructors and using sex toys as spears against the enemy, will the dysfunctional friends survive in the harsh new world of societal breakdown?"
Caroline Moran (pictured) says: "I can't bloody believe I am getting to make a sitcom for BBC Two! That's pretty much all I've ever wanted in life. The nation is now officially invited to our never-ending post-apocalyptic hen do. I guarantee high drama, tons of jokes, massive surprises and lots of penis-themed pound shop tat!"
Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy at the BBC, comments: "What could be more hilariously nightmarish than a hen do that never ends?! Caroline has created a very funny show with an incredible collection of women at the heart of it. We're incredibly excited to bring Henpocalypse! to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer viewers later next year."
Imogen Cooper (Ghosts, Quacks) produced the non-transmission pilot for Various Artists Limited (Dead Pixels, I May Destroy You), the production company founded by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong with former Channel 4 commissioners Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni. The pilot was directed by The Other One creator and Motherland writer Holly Walsh.
Phil Clarke says: "We are thrilled to be working with Caroline Moran on her new BBC Two series. She is the most original and joyous writer. The apocalypse has never been funnier."
Filming of the series begins early in 2023 and casting will be announced in due course.