TV
Jack Dee to star in new television sitcom
Published Wednesday, Jan 25 2006, 15:19 GMT | By Fiona Edwards
Jack Dee will star in a new comedy for the BBC based around a disillusioned world-weary comedian.
Lead Balloon, a six part series, will see Dee play the role of disenchanted comedian Rick Spleen who ends up doing far too many corporate jobs such as The Heating and Ventilation Awards.
The show features Rick, his wife Mel, played by Raquel Cassidy, a showbiz agent who looks after C-list celebrities, the couple’s 17-year-old daughter Sam, the world’s least motivated human being, played by Antonia Campbell-Hughes, and Magda, Rick’s Eastern European lodger and daily help.
BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said: “We are in the throes of commissioning what looks like a great series for us.
“It’s not quite Jack Dee playing himself. His character is much less successful than the real Jack.
“But it’s a close-run thing to his life. It’s the story of a family man, his friends and the encounters that he has.
Dee, who hosts many awards ceremonies himself, co-wrote the show.
Lead Balloon, a six part series, will see Dee play the role of disenchanted comedian Rick Spleen who ends up doing far too many corporate jobs such as The Heating and Ventilation Awards.
The show features Rick, his wife Mel, played by Raquel Cassidy, a showbiz agent who looks after C-list celebrities, the couple’s 17-year-old daughter Sam, the world’s least motivated human being, played by Antonia Campbell-Hughes, and Magda, Rick’s Eastern European lodger and daily help.
BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said: “We are in the throes of commissioning what looks like a great series for us.
“It’s not quite Jack Dee playing himself. His character is much less successful than the real Jack.
“But it’s a close-run thing to his life. It’s the story of a family man, his friends and the encounters that he has.
Dee, who hosts many awards ceremonies himself, co-wrote the show.
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