ITV set to shelve Langham sitcom

Pilot shot before his arrest

ITV1 has said it is almost certain to drop a planned comedy series starring Chris Langham as a late-night radio DJ.

The channel had made a pilot episode of Seven Second Delay before Langham's arrest in 2005. The improvised piece, which co-starred Sally Phillips, was shot without a studio audience, and is technically still on ITV’s development slate.

But now the company has said its chances of being commissioned for a full series are minimal, given the 48-year-old’s conviction of downloading child pornography.

An ITV1 spokeswoman told MediaGuardian: ‘Safe to say it is very unlikely that this pilot will be taken forward in the circumstances.’

Last month Langham, who is also unlikely to return to BBC political satire The Thick Of It, lost a legal attempt to reduce his ten-month sentence, in a bid to be released before Christmas.

Published: 6 Nov 2007

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