Dave Lines Up Political Talk Show Hosted by Matt Forde

LONDON: UKTV has ordered a new weekly political satire series for Dave, Unspun with Matt Forde, which will be presented by the titular comedian.

Unspun with Matt Forde will feature reactions to U.K. politics news, interviews with leading political figures and additional reporting from international comedians. The 6×60-minute show is being produced by Avalon Television, which has a roster of recent productions that includes HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Channel 4’s Catastrophe, among others. It is slated to begin airing on Dave in September.

Forde remarked: “I’m simultaneously horrified and entertained by the state of British politics, so I can’t wait to start making Unspun. It was either do this or become Shadow Environment Secretary, and I wanted to do something credible.”

Richard Watsham, UKTV’s director of commissioning, said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank all those people who voted in the referendum for giving us so much material to work with; there’s never been a better time to make a political talk show. It’s a significant step for the maturity of UKTV originations that we can take on such a topical and frankly, important series.”

Steve North, the general manager of Dave, noted: “In a year of major steps for Dave—with a move into sport, the successes of Taskmaster and Dave Gorman Modern Life Is Goodish and the imminent arrival of Red Dwarf XI and Zapped!, we are incredibly excited to make a giant leap into the turbulent world of politics. 2016 isn’t short of political stories and now more than ever it’s important that satire has a voice on TV. Matt Forde will entertain audiences by bridging the gap between comedy and politics in Unspun in the autumn.”

Jon Thoday, the managing director of Avalon, added: “It’s great that UKTV are reacting so swiftly to bring comedy to the current turmoil we face in Great Britain with Matt Forde and Unspun, a program that fills such an obvious gap in our broadcasting landscape.”