ITVX's new comedy impressions show using AI tech

Here is the first look at the new comedy Deep Fake Neighbour Wars – the first long form-TV show to use artificial intelligence to bring its characters to life.

The show, created by comedians Spencer Jones coming to ITV’s streaming service ITVX in January, uses deep face technology to turn impressions into celebrities.

And rather like 1990s BBC comedy Stella Street, it places them in an suburban setting where they become embroiled in petty silly neighbourhood disputes.

Producers Tiger Aspect say: ‘We meet loved up Nicki Minaj and Tom Holland who are not happy with Mark Zuckerberg next door, Idris Elba gets a shock when new neighbour Kim Kardashian starts making her presence known in their communal garden, Harry Kane’s perfect patio is damaged by upstairs neighbour Stormzy (both pictured above) and dental hygienist Billie Eilish clashes with neighbour Beyonce when she starts working from home.’

Jones said: ‘Thanks to ITV for generously and bravely backing this project, of which I am but a cog. A huge talented team made this programme happen.

‘I hope the famous people in the show have a laugh at our versions of them. We just wanted to make a silly show reimagining them as everyday people. But now I have seen the quality of the deep fake results, I am worried about the future of humanity. Sorry everybody!’

Those lending their voices to the six-part series include Katia Kvinge, Al Foran, Scheiffer Bates, Carmen Green, Aurie Styla, Luke Kempner, Tony Lapidus and Yiannis Vassilakis.

While the writers’ room features a host of up-and-coming comedy names  familiar from the circuit. It includes two of this year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees, Jordan Gray and Josh Pugh, alongside Travis Jay, Erika Ehler, Laura Smyth, Jason Lewis, Leila Navabi, Nico Tatarowicz and Lucy Pearmanm who  previously co-starred in Jones’s series Mister Winner and The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk.

Nana Hughes, ITV’s head of comedy said: ‘Deep Fake Neighbour Wars is an impression show with a difference. The visuals will fascinate, the world will titillate and the impressions will fixate. It is hugely exciting to bring AI technology to quite literally change the face of comedy on ITVX.’

And David Simpson, head of comedy at Tiger Aspect added:  ‘The tech is wild, but first and foremost this is an impressions show and it has been a real joy working with such a talented group of emerging impressionists and writers.

‘Spencer, as always, has created something completely unique. But he has also found a positive way to use this amazing technology. We wanted this to be a fun and silly show, rather than anything satirical and that meant we picked celebrities who are our heroes and used the tech to create something playful and daft and hopefully very funny.’

A total of 35 deep fake characters have been created by StudioNeural, which describes itself as a ‘provider of synthetic media’.

Founder Barney Francis – also known as the artist and hacktivist Bill Posters – said: ‘This is the first time deep fake technology has been used at such scale for broadcast globally. We hope Deep Fake Neighbour Wars will disrupt conventions in the comedy entertainment sector whilst igniting curiosity from the public - and industry - in the creative potential of synthetic media on screen.’

Produced by: Tiger Aspect Productions in association with Studio Neural
Commissioned by: Nana Hughes, ITV’s head of comedy
Producer: Alison Macphail
Directors: Tom Vinnicombe, Spencer Jones and Tenisha White
Executive producers: Spencer Jones, David Simpson

Published: 17 Nov 2022