STILL TO COME THIS YEAR IN COMEDY, NEW AND RETURNING TITLES REVEALED

A look ahead to the new and returning comedy titles due to air later this year...

Death Valley

Coming soon, BBC One

Written and created by Paul Doolan (Mammoth, Trollied) and set in Wales, Death Valley follows the unlikely crime-solving partnership between eccentric national treasure John Chapel (Timothy Spall), a retired actor and star of hit fictional detective TV show ‘Caesar’, and disarming Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth).

Thrown together by the murder of John’s neighbour, John and Janie are an odd, yet hilarious duo with opposing instincts. Every week, they get to the bottom of gripping murders, with various stunning Welsh locations providing a backdrop to their investigations.

Changing Ends

ITV1

After becoming the biggest new half hour comedy launch on any channel this year, the hugely popular Changing Ends has been recommissioned for a third and fourth series on ITVX & ITV1. Since the series 1 launch, Alan Carr’s semi autobiographical comedy has been streamed over 13 million times on ITVX and been nominated for various awards throughout 2024.

Transaction

ITV2

Jordan Gray stars as Liv, a transgender egomaniac, causing havoc in the strange world of the supermarket nightshift. Having been hired to work there by Pellocks boss Simon (Frost) after he inadvertently offended the LGBTQ+ community with an ill-conceived marketing campaign, Liv soon realises she’s unsackable and sets about turning the store into her own personal playground, unleashing chaos on everyone and everything around her. 

Can You Keep A Secret

BBC One

Dawn (French & Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley) plays widow Debbie Fendon - granny, lawn bowler, tinpot dictator - who will stop at nothing to make sure her family’s protected. Unfortunately, most of the time the person they really need protecting from is her. When her hermit-like husband William (Mark Heap - Friday Night Dinner, Green Wing) unexpectedly dies, she makes an outlandish decision that will put the family under more pressure than ever before.

Here We Go

BBC One

The third series will continue to follow the chaotic Jessops’ family as they navigate new jobs, love, loss and family gatherings. Mum Rachel (Katherine Parkinson) is starting her new life as a therapist. Paul (Jim Howick), now a police constable, continues his quest to gain the respect of his peers - and his kids. Uncle Robin (Tom Basden) and wife Cherry (Tori Allen-Martin) are busy with a new arrival, baby Atlas, while Amy (Freya Parks) is still figuring out life as a 20-something.

How Are You? with Alan Partridge

BBC One

In his new documentary series - ‘And Did Those Feet… with Alan Partridge’ - we follow the beloved and, to be fair, revered broadcaster as he reintegrates into life in Britain after a year working in Saudi Arabia. But what begins as a documentary about homecoming soon morphs into something more personal as Alan realises that the happiness he thought he’d feel at being back in Norwich just hasn’t materialised. Something’s missing.

The Power Of Parker

BBC One

It’s 1992, the Queen is in the midst of her annus horribilis, John Major is the new PM, and Whitney’s I Will Always Love You is stuck at number one. Up in Stockport, Kath (Sian Gibson), Martin (Conleth Hill) and Diane (Rosie Cavaliero) are just trying their best to get along.

Martin Parker has hit rock bottom and is desperate to get his reputation back, Diane is adjusting to single life and running a business, while Kath is getting her happily ever after with her man by her side and is working on rekindling a relationship with her sister.

Not Going Out

BBC One

Lee Mack’s much loved, multi-award-winning studio sitcom will return for a new series on the BBC in 2025. Not Going Out is the UK’s longest running UK sitcom currently on air and recently joined an elite group of sitcom centenarians when the 100th episode aired during the BBC’s 2023 Christmas schedule.

Mammoth

BBC One

In the seventies he was a carefree Cardiff bachelor, teaching PE and generally living la vida loca. In 2024, he thought the world would still be his oyster, but Mammoth never really liked oysters, he was more of a pint and a packet of crisps sort of bloke. All he wanted was his old life back; the same job, the same clothes, the same car and the same soundtrack.

Mandy

BBC Two

This series Mandy continues to live hand-to-wonky-mouth, cooking up enough dodgy side hustles and trashy cash hacks to hopefully climb up into the squeezed middle and out of the squashed bottom. Constantly harassed, pursued and persecuted by her benefits officer (Tom Basden), Mandy finds solace in her friend Lola’s (Michelle Greenidge) salon, drinking in the heady aroma of cheap bleach and Minty Pig nail polish.

Disability Benefits

Channel 4

Having had her state benefits cut to shreds after being made redundant, a young woman with very little left to lose begins to build an illegal drugs empire. But Emily (Rosie Jones) isn’t your average street-dealing dope peddler – she’s sharp, funny, biting, highly educated – and on top of all that, she has cerebral palsy.

The Horne Section TV Show

Channel 4

Series two sees internationally renowned musician, comedian, writer, and actor Reggie Watts join the cast this series along with critically acclaimed comic Tim Key, and John Oliver as returning special guests. Desiree Burch (Live At The Apollo), Georgia Tennant (Staged), and Camille Ucan (Lee and Dean) also star in the returning cast, while Ronni Ancona (Friday Night Live), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts), Stevie Martin (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown), and Anna Crilly (Horrible Histories: The Movie) join the cast for the second series.

Transmission details for all the titles mentioned above will be confirmed in due course.