One-off for BBC One

Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry are to play two mismatched neighbours in a new one-off Christmas comedy for BBC One.

Click & Collect has the pair motoring across the country on Christmas Eve, driving each other crazy along the way, to pick up a toy that will make one girl’s Christmas dreams come true.

The hour-long show is written by Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf, who previously penned Witless, and is directed by The Inbetweeners Ben Palmer.

In his first British TV comedy role since 2013’s Life’s Too Short special, Merchant plays Andrew Bennett, who has somehow failed to buy the one present his six-year-old daughter really wants: Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess, which is sold out across London.

Step forward his irritating, over-friendly neighbour Dev D’Cruz (Chaudhry), who reveals he’s managed to track down the last one in the the UK – 300 miles away in Carlisle. And since it’s ‘click and collect’ on Dev’s credit card, the pair must travel together to collect it.

Merchant said: ‘Every year, my family watch the big Christmas TV specials and my dad falls asleep halfway through. This year, I’m very excited to be starring in a big Christmas TV special that my dad can fall asleep half way through.’

People Just Do Nothing star Chaudhry added: ‘I’ve been a huge fan of Stephen's work for many years so it's a dream to be working with him! I'm also over the moon about the fact that my ten-year-old sister can finally watch something I'm in that's family friendly and wholesome.’

Filming for Click & Collect will start later this month.

Made by: BBC Studios and Mondo Deluxe for BBC One Producer: Sam Ward
Director: Ben Palmer
Executive producers: Chris Sussman for BBC Studios, Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf for Mondo Deluxe Productions
Commissioning editor: Gregor Sharp.

Published: 1 Nov 2018