Mitchell & Webb return to sketch on Channel 4
- Mitchell & Webb are making a new sketch show for Channel 4
- Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Lara Ricote, Stevie Martin and Krystal Evans are co-writing and starring
- "It's a perilous time for the industry and so it's our hope that relaunching the trickiest genre of comedy is a brilliant piece of counterintuitive commissioning"
David Mitchell and Robert Webb are making a new sketch show.
Six episodes have been commissioned by Channel 4, uniting the duo with an assortment of writer/performers including Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Lara Ricote, Stevie Martin and Krystal Evans.
A team of both established and "upcoming" writers have also contributed to the series, with Mitchell & Webb's long-term producer Gareth Edwards.
It will be made by the duo's own production company, That Mitchell & Webb Company, in association with Big Talk Studios.
Their last sketch series, BBC Two's That Mitchell And Webb Look, ran for four series from 2006 to 2010, whilst they also starred in Channel 4 cult sitcoms Peep Show and Back, the most recent series of which aired in 2021.
Mitchell & Webb say: "When Channel 4 asked us to do another sketch show we were startled, bemused and available. It's a perilous time for the industry and so it's our hope that relaunching the trickiest genre of comedy is a brilliant piece of counterintuitive commissioning. And we're confident that unlike Roger Moore with his shoe on the bonnet of a car teetering on the edge of a cliff in For Your Eyes Only [REPLACE WITH 21ST CENTURY REFERENCE?] we're not about to give British TV comedy a final lethal nudge into the abyss. We're looking forward to working with our brilliant new cast despite their youth and talent and would like to encourage viewers to watch the advert break carefully and do their best to buy something. It doesn't have to be a car but, you know, a box of chocolates or an app or something."
Kiell Smith-Bynoe comments: "Getting to join this project with comedy legends Mitchell & Webb feels like getting to sit on the grown-ups table that you've been trying to get on for years, then you realise the grown-ups are just as funny, silly and they'll let you have a sip of advocaat. I'm really excited to be a part of this long-awaited return of comedy royalty."
Lara Ricote notes: "I am overjoyed to be making this with the best there is. It's such a silly, good and sweet group and the sketches are just very funny. I am feeling very lucky to be part of this. The writers' rooms were SO fun and now we get to act in it? It's a dream!"
Stevie Martin says: "I started doing online sketches because I never thought I'd get to do sketch comedy on actual TV - but now I'm doing it on actual TV with the two people who made me want to be a sketch comedian in the first place?! It's absolutely wild. Also they've both been so fun and generous to work with - plus David was very nice when I said I enjoyed his show Luther."
Krystal Evans adds: "Working with these guys and this incredibly talented cast is an actual dream come true and also they give us free biscuits and if we're really good, pizza."
Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, comments: "Sketch is back baby. We're so honoured to be working with David, Robert and their contemporaries, alongside an exceptional collective of newer voices both on and off screen. Sketch shows have historically been the bedrock of generations of comedy writers and performers- giving so many household names their first credits and platforms and Channel 4 has always been at the heart of this. It's been such a sparky and joyous journey making this show so far and we can't wait for audiences to see it."
Kenton Allen, Chief Executive at Big Talk Studios, says: "Sketch comedy is an incredibly valuable part of the comedy eco-system so we're thrilled that clever Channel 4 are doing what they are best at by supporting high risk creative endeavours in an innovative format that can reap enormous rewards for viewers across multiple platform.
"David Mitchell and Robert Webb returning to their BAFTA-winning sketch show roots feels like I'm witnessing a rare comedy conservation success story. Who better to lead this comedic rescue mission than two masters of the craft. Like proud zookeepers, we can't wait to show off these magnificent specimens and their brilliant talented offspring let loose in their natural habitat."
The series was commissioned by Charlie Perkins and Joe Hullait, Commissioning Executive, Comedy.
That Mitchell & Webb Sound - The Complete Series 1-5
All five series of the award-winning sketch show - plus standalone comedy Daydream Believers.
Welcome to the inside-out world of Mitchell and Webb, a strange and surreal place populated by misfits, eccentrics, talking animals and a few stray Radio 4 arts programme presenters.
Included here are all five series of their fantastically skewed comedy show, packed with offbeat sketches and peculiar characters. Meet seedy snooker commentators Ted and Peter; poorly matched crime-fighting duo Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit; a cop who doesn't get results but, by God, he does things by the book; and some nervous Nazis who've just noticed their caps have skulls on them...
Find out what James Bond is really like as a party guest; thrill to The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken-Caesar; and play the maths quiz that everyone is talking about, but no one understands - Numberwang! In addition, you can listen to the Alpine Archers on Radio Switzerland; join Raymond Terrific and his panel of boffins on Big Talk; and tune in to the exciting new reality show Make Me a Celebrity Centaur, featuring soap stars, cutting-edge surgery and some horses.
Absurd, imaginative, and very funny, this acclaimed series won a Sony Silver Award and led to the hugely successful TV series That Mitchell And Webb Look. It stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb, with Olivia Colman, James Bachman and Sarah Hadland.
Also included is the half-hour sci-fi comedy Daydream Believers, in which David Mitchell and Robert Webb star as tetchy novelist Ray and his gormless flatmate Colin and, in a parallel space adventure concocted by Ray, as Baron Amstrad and his retro-looking android Info. The supporting cast includes Olivia Colman, Mark Benton, Simon Greenall and Mark Evans.
First released: Thursday 12th January 2023
- Distributor: BBC Digital Audio
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That Mitchell And Webb Look - Series One
Relive the entire Series 1 of That Mitchell And Webb Look on DVD.
The DVD is bursting with well loved characters such as Sir Digby Chicken Ceasar, Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit, as well exclusive extras including, outtakes, behind the scenes and a M&W documentary. A must for any fans of Mitchell & Webb and the hit series Peep Show.
Special features include outtakes, a special documentary, and behind the scenes footage.
First released: Monday 29th October 2007
DVD- Distributor: Contender Entertainment Group
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Catalogue: CTD10496
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