Hopley Hall is set in a crumbling country house

Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is to head a new BBC comedy set in a  historic and slightly shabby listed house in the Northern Ireland countryside.

The BBC says the show follows the ensemble of staff and volunteers who keep the house running: 'a motley group of enthusiasts, innocents, idiots and sociopaths’ – while its sole resident is the ‘ancient, bewildered and very English’ Lady Hopley.

The six-part series, provisionally titled Hopley Hall, has been created and written by Daniel Peak, whose credits include Not Going Out and Code 404.

He said: ‘I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity to write a big, warm-hearted ensemble sitcom for the BBC, and to be doing it with an extremely talented writing team in Northern Ireland and for the UK’s best and funniest actors. I’m looking forward to opening the gates of Hopley Hall for public viewing.’

Jon Petrie, the BBC’s director of comedy, said the show has ‘all the ingredients for something properly special – expect laughs, warmth, wit and a lot of chaos.’

Additional material for the show will come from new Northern Ireland comedy writers, including Oisin Kearney, Michael McCullagh, Shannon Welby, Susannah McKenna-Strathern, the late Michael Patrick, Eileen Tracey and Caitlin Magnall-Kearns

The show is co-produced by Nice One Productions and Birdie Pictures.

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Published: 13 May 2026