Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond's In Case of Emergency said to be inspired by Family Guy

Ghosts co-creators Laurence Rickard and Ben ​Willbond are working on an animated series set in a hospital. 

In Case of Emergency is in development for Netflix and is said to take its inspiration from Family Guy.

Production company Big Talk has made  a six-minute pilot, with ‘members of the British comedy community’ providing voices – although casting news has not yet been announced.

London-based Blue Zoo Animation Studio, whose credits include The Adventures of Paddington are collaborating on the show, which has yet to get the green light. 

Rickard and Willbond wrote all five seasons of Ghosts for the BBC along with co-creators Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas and Jim Howick – who all also play spirits in the hit sitcom. All six are also executive producers on the American version, which has been renewed for a fourth series on CBS.

 The news was broken by Big Talk’s chief executive Kenton Allen in an interview with US industry website Deadline.

He also revealed plans for a UK remake of Cheers and a US remake of Back, the Channel 4 comedy which originally starred David Mitchell and Robert Webb. 

Rickard and Willbond also wrote the Dave sci-fi comedy We Are Not Alone, which was also made by Big Talk. And the pair – who play The Captain and caveman Robin in Ghosts – also appeared on Celebrity Pointless together, as our above picture shows 

Published: 1 Oct 2024