Benidorm creator pens new BBC1 sitcom starring Katherine Kelly and Jason Manford
Six-parter Scarborough has been commissioned alongside a new sitcom pilot from the team behind Murder in Successville
The BBC has snapped up a new sitcom from Benidorm creator Derren Litten, fronted by former Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly, comedian Jason Manford and veteran actress Stephanie Cole.
Scarborough, which is set to air late next year, "follows the lives and loves of a small handful of residents in Scarborough, the sometime sunny beach resort in North Yorkshire, who meet most nights in the local karaoke bar where they swap gossip and sing 80’s classics".
Filming on the six-part series will take place next summer.
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The news comes after it was confirmed earlier this year that Benidorm would not be returning to ITV after 11 years on air.
The BBC has also given the go-ahead to a new sitcom pilot from the creative team behind the Bafta award winning Murder in Successville.
The comedy, ‘king Gary, is written by Tom Davis and James De Frond, and follows the suburban struggles of childhood sweethearts Gary and Terri King, a husband and wife comedy double act.
Davis will play Gary in the comedy which also features Simon Day (The Fast Show), Camille Coduri (Him & Her), Laura Checkley (Bridget Jones’s Baby) and Romesh Ranganathan (The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan).
Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, said at the Edinburgh Television Festival: "These two new shows highlight BBC1's continued commitment to breaking new comedy on the channel. Both are real gems; Scarborough, from sitcom writing heavyweight Derren Little and 'king Gary's writer performer Tom Davis pens a mainstream sitcom with tons of heart."
