Jon Hamm & Daniel Radcliffe Sign On for Sky Arts’ Playhouse Presents

LONDON: Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe are on board for a new four-part comedy/drama, A Young Doctor’s Notebook, based on the memoirs of a Russian doctor working during the Russian Revolution, as part of Sky Arts’ Playhouse Presents… programming.

Hamm will take on the role of the older doctor, who has a series of bleakly comedic exchanges with his younger self, which will be played by Radcliffe. The series will run on Sky Arts in 2013. It is based on a collection of short stories from Russian writer and playwright Mikhail Bulgakov.

Big Talk Productions is producing the project in association with Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeld’s Point West Pictures. It will be sold internationally by BBC Worldwide.

Hamm said: “I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work on such rich source material with such fantastically talented people whose work I greatly respect, and to continue the relationship with Sky who have taken such good care of Mad Men since acquiring it. Clelia Mountford and Big Talk have been championing this project unabashedly and I share their great enthusiasm for bringing something original, dark, funny and moving to light. Also, I have been watching Bridget Jones’s Diary on infinite loop, and I think I’ve finally got this accent thing sorted…”

Radcliffe added: "I have been an obsessive Bulgakov reader for a couple of years now so when the opportunity to become involved in this project came up, I could barely contain my excitement. The book is funny, grotesque and heartfelt in equal measure and I look forward to working with a great group of people to help bring it to life."

“Having two of the world’s most popular actors, whose iconic roles are seared on to the world’s collective consciousness, is an enormous accomplishment for Sky Arts. It continues a tradition we have established of attracting the most recognized faces in the world to Sky,” commented James Hunt, the channel director for Sky Arts. “Bulgakov’s work is fascinating, dark and original and with talent like this, will surprise and entertain our viewers in a wholly unique way. It is brilliantly observed piece, which promises to be true historical magic and completely unlike anything else on television.”

“Here’s a world-class lineup to take your breath away,” said Lucy Lumsden, the head of comedy for Sky. “Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe on Sky Arts reflect just how significant the channel has become in driving creativity and delivering exceptional names to Sky customers."

Kenton Allen, Big Talk’s chief executive, said: "Clelia Mountford bought the project to me with a twinkle in her eye and that twinkle has rapidly developed into a rather extraordinary project that promises to be unmissable TV. I really hope we can find and entertain a whole new audience with the brilliance of Bulgakov and the pinch-yourself dream-team combination of Jon and Daniel."