Sky 1 Slates Original Comedies, Dramas

LONDON: The newly unveiled fall lineup for Sky 1 HD includes a number of new comedy commissions, including Starlings, executive produced by Steve Coogan.

The 8×1-hour sitcom Starlings is from Baby Cow Productions, with founders Coogan and Henry Normal as executive producers. The show follows the lives of a typical working-class family in Derbyshire. Brendan Coyle and Lesley Sharp star in the series. Also on the comedy roster, Gates is a 6×30-minute series from Feelgood Fiction Productions. The show, which features Sue Johnston, Tom Ellis and Joanna Page, looks at the relationships between parents whose kids attend the same school.

These two new commissions join Sky 1 HD’s comedy lineup that includes Trollied, starring Jane Horrocks, Mark Addy and Jason Watkins; Mount Pleasant, with Sally Lindsay and Daniel Ryan; Spy, starring Darren Boyd and Robert Lindsay; and The Café, directed by Craig Cash.

In the way of drama, a second season of Strike Back is set for the lineup, along with the adaptation Treasure Island, which features Eddie Izzard in the role of Long John Silver. Strike Back: Project Dawn is a first-ever co-production between Sky and HBO/Cinemax. The 10×1-hour series features Richard Armitage returning as John Porter. Two new heroes will be introduced this season, played by Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton. The highly anticipated Treasure Island four-hour mini-series features an all-star cast. Starring alongside Izzard is Elijah Wood, Toby Regbo, Rupert Penry Jones, Philip Glenister, Daniel Mays, Keith Allen, Nina Sosanya, Shirley Henderson, David Harewood and Donald Sutherland.

For Sky 1’s entertainment lineup, there is The Glee Project, A League of Their Own and Got to Dance. Last Act Standing (working title) is new for the channel, featuring a talent contest mixed in with a game show. Also new to the lineup is Meet the Pranksters (working title), a hidden-camera show with a twist.

Factual highlights include another season of An Idiot Abroad, featuring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. Ashley Banjo’s Secret Street Crew, Safebreakers and Inside Gatwick cap off the lineup.

By 2014, Sky expects to invest £600 million a year in British programming across its portfolio of channels.

Stuart Murphy, the director of Sky 1 HD, said: “I’m so pleased with this autumn’s lineup as it feels like a huge mark in the sand for Sky 1 HD. Two years ago we promised customers we’d bring them the best in British comedy and here it is. We’ve worked really hard with the best British talent across all genres to make sure customers feel Sky 1 HD is a premium channel. ”