Feature-length film We Are Not Alone picked up by Dave

Ghosts stars Larry Rickard and Ben Willbond have written a feature-length comedy for Dave about the aftermath of an alien invasion.

The two-hour special We Are Not Alone is set six weeks after aliens have conquered Earth, and explores the culture clash between humankind and its new extraterrestrial masters. The aliens are trying to make sense of a planet so confusing and idiotic that its inhabitants can’t even agree which side of the road to drive on. 

In a statement, Rickard and Willbond say: ‘We are so excited to be bringing this project to you puny Earthlings. We’ve never attempted anything so ambitious or ridiculous, so we’re thrilled to be joined on the adventure by such an incredible cast and phenomenal crew.’

The pair (pictured above on an episode of Celebrity Pointless) are part of the team that created Horrible Histories and Ghosts. On the hit BBC One sitcom they play caveman Robin and Second World War officer The Captain respectively.

Pete Thornton, who commissioned the film, said: ‘The premise of this highly original Special is as richly comic as it is timely. 

‘We’ve seen shows before about alien invasion, but none have grappled with how said aliens might try to govern and live alongside us after their (inevitably pathetically easy) victory. 

‘By observing the way we live through fresh alien eyes, Larry and Ben’s remarkable script does a brilliant job of reflecting our topsy turvy world and pointing out what a bunch of idiots the human race really are - and that all things considered we might not actually be the best custodians of our increasingly fragile and damaged planet.'
 
Dave channel director Cherie Cunningham added: ‘This is one of the most ambitious productions Dave has ever undertaken, with a hilarious script full of great characters and vivid worldbuilding.’

 And Kenton Allen, chief executive of programme-makers Big Talk Productions, added, ‘Shining a light on how stupid Humans are, through the prism of some stupid Aliens, with the amazing crew we have assembled, will be stupidly good fun.’

Casting and broadcast details are yet to be announced.

Written by Larry Rickard and Ben Willbond
 Commissioned for UKTV by: Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and Cherie Cunningham, Dave channel director. 
 Directed by: Fergal Costello 
 Produced by: Philip Leach 
 Executive producers: Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice and Victoria Grew.

Published: 19 Nov 2021