Armando Iannucci – the man behind Veep, The Thick of It and its spin-off movie In The Loop – is about to launch a new comedy in space.

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Under the working title Avenue 5, the HBO pilot will be written and executive produced by the comedy creator. Set in the future and mainly off Earth, it’ll be filmed in London in 2018.

Who’s starring? The cast hasn’t yet been revealed, but if Iannucci was looking for a familiar actor for another cursed-filled comedy, one accustomed to intergalactic adventures then we’ve got one idea: Peter Capaldi. A Malcolm Tucker/The Doctor hybrid would be perfect.

And it really could happen: in an interview in August, Capaldi said, “I think I’m going to be working with Armando next year." Has Iannucci already got a role for the outgoing Time Lord?

Avenue 5 marks Iannucci’s first TV project since hit US show Veep, which he left after season four. The comedy has picked up a stream of Emmys, including a record six for lead actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

But before Avenue 5 starts filming, we’ll be treated to Iannucci’s upcoming film: The Death of Stalin, out October 20th. The satire will follow – you guessed it – the events in Soviet Russia after the death of despot Joseph Stalin. It’s funnier than it sounds…

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Buy the Thick of It starring Peter Capaldi

Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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