Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas has teamed up with Kiwi comedians Rose Matafeo, Paul Williams and Bret McKenzie from Flight Of The Conchords to write and star in a James Bond spoof.
Shot in Auckland across the turn of the year, the retro New Zealand Spy co-stars Tim Key, Sam Campbell and Claudia O'Doherty.
The comedy follows three new recruits to the New Zealand Intelligence Agency in the 1960s and 1970s, thrust into a clandestine world as they stumble through betrayal, romance and absurdity while attempting to prevent an attack from the nation's nemesis, Australia.
The show looks likely to land on UK screens given the London-based talent in front of the camera and the fact that BBC Studios is distributing the show internationally, but Chortle understands a UK channel has yet to be secured.
Williams – who takes the Alex Horne assistant role in Taskmaster NZ – is a long-established fan of the James Bond franchise and explored the impact of the films' iconic opening titles on his adolescence in his 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show Mamiya 7.
'Since I was a boy, my dream was to play James Bond,' he said. 'It obviously hasn’t happened for me, but Michael Riviera is similar in a lot of ways. He’s a spy, and he likes to wear suits. Who’s to say which character is more iconic?’
Matafeo added: 'There’s only one person I would come back to Aotearoa for, and that is Sam Neill. When I got here, I found out Paul had lied to me, and Sam Neill is not in this show. I have decided to stay because I think New Zealand Spy is going to be very good.'
Thomas, who was based in New Zealand throughout the shoot, said: 'People keep telling me to travel around and see the natural wonders of the landscape. Though they are doubtless beautiful, the best thing about New Zealand is the people. So smart, modest, and thoughtful.
'It’s no surprise this country produces such good comedy and, in my opinion (obviously I’m appallingly biased), they have another brilliant one here.'
Also featuring Australian comic Andy Lee and ex-Aussie Rules footballer-turned-television presenter Tony Armstrong, the six-part series is directed by Wellington Paranormal helmer Tim van Dammen and produced by Kevin & Co, the company that makes Taskmaster NZ
New Zealand Spy has been made for TVNZ with funding from the Kiwi government, and has also been snapped up by Australia's ABC channel.
It comes as cracks have begun to appear in the long-established Five Eyes intelligence alliance between the UK, US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada under Donald Trump's second presidency .
Meanwhile, the Australian version of Kiwi comic Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee is coming to BBC Three on Friday. Loosely based on a spelling bee, the cult gameshow originally aired in Montgomery's homeland before transferring to Australia.
Also made by Kevin & Co and featuring Aaron Chen as Montgomery's assistant, comics to have appeared on the show include Tim Minchin, Hannah Gadsby, Kitty Flanagan, Josh Thomas, Zoë Combs Marr, Rhys Nicholson, Tom Ballard and Melbourne-based Welsh stand-up Lloyd Langford.
- by Jay Richardson
