Ricky Gervais Sets First BBC Project In A Decade As Comedy Shorts Unveiled

Max Goldbart
·8 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Ricky Gervais has directed his first BBC project in a decade as the corporation’s Comedy Director Jon Petrie unveils his debut batch of 11 Short Films since taking on the role.

Deadline can reveal that The Office and After Life creator Gervais has directed 7 Minutes, a show about two people awkwardly contemplating suicide from his own Derek Productions.

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Penned by Harry Carlile and Jonathan Parramint and starring Joe Wilkinson and Seroca Davis, 7 Minutes’ logline reads: “A desolate train track seems the perfect spot to end it all, until someone else turns up with the same idea. Awkward.”

Gervais’ last BBC project was the Warwick Davis-starring Life’s Too Short, which ran from 2011 to 2013 and was co-written with long-time writing partner Stephen Merchant. Since then, he has mostly made shows for Netflix such as global smash After Life.

Petrie’s Comedy Shorts are comprised of 10-15 minute one-offs, which are self contained but could be further developed. “It’s been exciting to create a space for comedy creatives to flex their funny bones and we’re particularly proud to have given 11 new writers and six new directors their first BBC Comedy credit,” he said, prior to addressing an event at the BBC Comedy Festival in Cardiff this evening. In his public speaking appearances so far, Petrie has expressed a desire to put more investment behind pilots.

Also featuring on the eclectic slate are shows about a British Nigerian middle-class family in Milton Keynes, a slapstick offering based on a Beano comic starring Catastrophe‘s Mark Bonnar and a mockumentary titled This is Gay.

The former, titled Jobless, is written by Black Women in Scripted founder Thara Popoola and follows the Adenugas, a family desperate to make their mark on the world.

In Beano-based Calamity James, a man cursed with ‘acute misfortune syndrome’ tries to reconnect with his dad, while This is Gay from Kirk Flash and produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow follows a figure known as Host who takes viewers on a strange adventure to Renaissance Italy, modern-day London, a charming Welsh parish and a fridge.

Other Comedy Shorts include A Better Place about an oddball trio who inherit their failing family funeral business, a show spotlighting two emotionally-unassembled Northern Irish kids titled Funboys and Man Eater, about someone who embraces the beast within them – a beast who eats pervy men.

The Shorts will be available on BBC iPlayer from tomorrow and will air on BBC Three in the coming months.

The Full List

A Better Place

After their father’s passing, an oddball trio inherit the failing family funeral business. Led by hapless son Archie, they devise a plan to save their funeral home from the clutches of rival businesswoman Eileen.

A Better Place is created and written by Book of Jam, the producer is Laura Ferguson and the executive producers are Jon Rolph and Matthew Cowan. A Better Place is a Production Attic production for BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Gavin Smith and Navi Lamba.

Birdsong

A short film by Uncle Shortbread about the dangers of sleep deprivation, the brutality of the music industry, and the power of Iggy Pop’s hip thrust. Starring Colin Hoult.

Birdsong is created, written & voiced by Uncle Shortbread. The director is Arthur Studholme, the producer is Nick Coupe and the executive producer is Jimmy Mulville. Birdsong is a Hat Trick production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Ben Caudell and Emma Barnard.

Calamity James

Calamity James is a slapstick comedy about a young man, James, who is cursed with ‘acute misfortune syndrome’. James tries to reconnect with his dad after being thrown out by his mum for setting fire to their house at a family barbeque. In this world, chronic bad luck exists and the unbelievable is the everyday. Starring Mark Bonnar and Dylan Blore.

Calamity James is based on the Beano comic strip of the same name. Written and created by Louis Paxton. The producer is Laura Taylor. The executive producers are Mark Talbot and Charlie Coombes. Calamity James is a Emanata Studios production for BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Gavin Smith and Navi Lamba.

Funboys

Life is hard. So, Callum and Jordan, two emotionally-unassembled young lads from Northern Ireland, start the Funboys’ Fun Club: a playgroup for childish young men to engage in wholesome mucking about. But when a juice party goes awry, Callum’s ultra-religious fiancée, Morgan kicks them out and the Funboys must search for a new HQ. When they come across Marty, a catatonically depressed 60-year-old, can they bring joy back to his life and prove that fun won’t necessarily lead to an eternity spent in raging hellfire?

Funboys is written by and stars Rian Lennon and Ryan Early. The producer is Simon Mayhew-Archer, the director is Rian Lennon. Funboys is produced by Camden Productions for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Seb Barwell and Navi Lamba.

Jobless

Jobless is a sitcom all about the Adenugas, a British Nigerian middle-class family in Milton Keynes, in particular 16-year-old twin brother and sister Kehinde (Kenny) and Taiwo (Tai). Tai and Kenny are desperate to make their mark on the world. That’s hard when you live at home with your parents, and even harder when you live in Milton Keynes…

Jobless is created and written by Thara Popoola, the producer is Zoë Waterman, the executive producer is Rachel Ablett and the director is Big Red Button. Jobless is a Zeppotron (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Ben Caudell and Navi Lamba.

Man Eater

Don’t be afraid to embrace the beast within you…even if that means wolfing down a load of pervy men.

Man Eater is written by Angela Nesi and Anna Brook-Mitchell, the producer is John Pocock, it was line produced by Rachel Alabaster and the director is Rashida Seriki. Man Eater is a DAVE production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Emma Lawson and Emma Barnard.

Mobility

Comedy starring Jack Carroll. First day of 6th Form and Mike, Sonny and Dan are heading in on the mobility bus. Will they make it to school without strangling each other?

Mobility is written by Jack Carroll and Tom Gregory, the director is Akaash Meeda, the executive producers are David Simpson and Sam Ward. Mobility is a Tiger Aspect (a Banijay UK company) & Testmouse co-production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Ben Caudell.

Pobl Bachyn

Pobl Bachyn is a new short comedy-horror film from Tarot about the triple threat of Welsh folklore, English tourists and (to a lesser degree) being hungover, all set on a farm on Ynys Môn.

Pobl Bachyn is written by Adam Drake, Ed Easton, Kath Hughes, Ben Rowse and Kiri Pritchard-McLean who also makes her directorial debut. The producers are Hal Branson and Alastair Hope-Morley, the executive producer is Henry Widdicombe. Pobl Bachyn is a Little Wander production for BBC iPlayer, BBC Wales and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Paul Forde and Navi Lamba.

This Is Gay

They’re called “gays”. But what are they? Who are they? And why? Part mockumentary, part sketch show, This Is Gay attempts to answer these important questions. Your guide, a figure simply known as “Host”, takes you on a strange adventure with many stop offs along the way, including Renaissance Italy, modern-day London, a charming Welsh parish, and a fridge.

This Is Gay is written and created by Kirk Flash, the producer is Rupert Majendie. This Is Gay will be produced by BBC Studios’ production label Baby Cow for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Ben Caudell and Navi Lamba.

Where It Ends

Actor Jack joins a panto tour of care homes, where he is confronted with the reality of where it ends. Comedy starring Jack Robertson, Lauren Pattison, Charlie Hardwick & Dave Johns.

Where It Ends is a Tiger Aspect (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. The writer is Jack Robertson, the director is Fergal Costello, and the executive producers are David Simpson and Sam Ward. Commissioned for the BBC by Emma Lawson and Navi Lamba.

7 Minutes

A desolate train track seems the perfect spot to end it all, until someone else turns up with the same idea. Awkward.

7 Minutes is written by Harry Carlile and Jonathan Parramint. The director is Ricky Gervais, the producer is Hussain Casey-Ahmed. 7 Minutes is a Derek production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three. Commissioned for the BBC by Emma Lawson and Emma Barnard.

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