Jack Whitehall lands his own sitcom

Among raft of new BBC Three comedies

Jack Whitehall has landed his own sitcom, announced amid a raft of new BBC Three commissions today.

The comic and Fresh Meat star will play a useless teacher in the six-part series Bad Education, which he also wrote.

The series is his first away from Channel 4, where he has built up his career and for whom he his fronting the forthcoming stand-up series Hit The Road, Jack.

BBC Three Zai Bennett also announced another two comedy commissions, a ‘multi-series’ deal for Russell Howard’s Good News – and a new batch of six full-length pilots, which will be screened online under the Comedy Kitchen banner.

He also revealed a third series of Him & Her starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani, and a second series of the new sitcom Pramface, about a young couple coming to terms with unexpected parenthood, even before the first has aired.

Of the new series, The Revolution Will Be Televised is described as ‘Newsnight meets Trigger Happy TV’. The topical show will involve Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein – who make spoof videos for the website Don’t Panic – taking on politicians, celebrities and bankers.

The other is Some Girls, written by Game On creator Bernadette Davis, about a group of teenage girls in a London comprehensive school.

The shows being piloted in The Comedy Kitchen season are:

Impractical Jokers: A hidden camera show where four comedian friends dare themselves to take on awkward real life scenarios. It’s based on a US series that debuts this autumn.

The Imran Yusuf Show: As previously announced – a mix of stand-up and sketch from the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nominee.

People Just Do Nothing: A mockumentary following a group of wasters from Brentwood, Essex, trying to run a pirate radio station.

The Boy With Tape On His Face: A pilot for the acclaimed Kiwi mime act, now based in the UK

Dawson Brothers Presents: A sketch show from a team of comedy writers who have previously contributed to the Mitchell and Webb Look, The Peter Serafinowicz Show and The Friday Night Project – as well as writing the acclaimed ‘blackberry’ sketch from The One Ronnie last year.

Alison Jackson's Breaking News: A spoof news show poking fun at celebrities using lookalikes.

Zai Bennett said: ‘BBC Three is the channel that breaks new comedy in the UK. We are delighted that Bad Education, Some Girls and The Revolution Will Be Televised are joining our already exciting stable of comedy.

‘Our additional investment in The Comedy Kitchen and further online investment not only gives new talent and writers the time to grow and develop, but also ensures there is a clear nursery slope for them on to the channel, where we back series like Pramface with two series orders up front.’

Published: 30 Nov 2011

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