Doctor in the House? | Sitcom for Gein's Family Giftshop's Ed Easton

Doctor in the House?

Sitcom for Gein's Family Giftshop's Ed Easton

Gein's Family Giftshop's Ed Easton is to star in a new hospital sitcom on Dave.

In Porters, he plays Simon Porter, who dreams of becoming a doctor by starting at the bottom and becoming the best porter the NHS has ever seen, grafting in the basement and trying not to kill any of the patients.

Chewing Gum's Susan Wokoma co-stars as the cynical, self-styled 'Queen of the Porters' Frankie, with Josh's Claudia Jessie playing the naïve nurse Lucy in the three 40-minute episodes, airing later this year.

Writer Dan Sefton is a part-time doctor whose previous credits include Dawn French's Delicious and The Good Karma Hospital.

Porters is the first commission for former Miranda producer Laurence Bowen's new production company Dancing Ledge Productions, and is directed by Vadim Jean, helmer of the Dave sitcoms Henry IX and The Rebel.

Easton previously played a similar deluded wannabe, who dreamed of jury duty, in James Acaster's BBC Two pilot, The Jury. But that has not been picked up for series. He returns to the Edinburgh Fringe this year with sketch outfit Gein's at the Pleasance Courtyard.

Executive producer Bowen said: 'Dan Sefton is a rare find – an A-list TV writer who also works part time in an A&E ward in Tiverton! So producing his first medical comedy series for UKTV is a real treat. It’s authored, smart and full of wonderful characters – in fact everything we’ve set up Dancing Ledge Productions to celebrate. We want to establish ourselves as a creative home for top writing talent so this first commission for UKTV is an exciting start.'

Pete Thornton, UKTV's senior commissioning editor, added: 'Dan is a brilliantly original writer who’s crafted a world and set of characters that are rich with promise. Combined with a really fresh, exciting young cast, Porters has all the makings of an exceptionally strong new comedy.'

The commission comes as Tom Binns's sitcom Hospital People begins on BBC One tomorrow night.

By Jay Richardson

Published: 20 Apr 2017

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