Entertainment

Lee Mack’s real-time comedy Semi-Detached renewed as full series

The show follows Stuart, a wedding DJ struggling to cope with his young partner April and their newborn baby.
The show follows Stuart, a wedding DJ struggling to cope with his young partner April and their newborn baby.

Lee Mack’s real-time comedy Semi-Detached will return to BBC Two for a full series.

Following a successful one-off pilot, the programme has been renewed as six 30-minute episodes.

Like the hit American thriller show 24, Semi-Detached plays out in real time.

Lee Mack comments
Stand-up comic Lee Mack (Isabel Infantes/PA)

However, unlike the fast-paced tale of counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer, the sitcom follows a dysfunctional family who live in a cul-de-sac.

Comedian and actor Mack, 51, stars as Stuart, a wedding DJ struggling to cope with his young partner April and their newborn baby.

Peep Show’s Neil Fitzmaurice plays his convict brother while Game of Thrones actor Clive Russell plays his drug-using father Willie.

Samantha Spiro plays Stuart’s ex-wife who lives across the cul-de-sac with their teenage daughter Madonna, played by Sarah Hoare.

62nd Cannes Film Festival – Charlie Noades R.I.P Photocall
Peep Show actor Neil Fitzmaurice (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Semi-Detached is made by Happy Tramp North and written by David Crow and Oliver Maltman.

Executive producer of Happy Tramp North Neil Webster said: “David Crow and Oliver Maltman have not only written the funniest scripts I have ever read, they’ve also effortlessly managed to make the whole series play out in real time.

“And with an incredibly funny cast headed up by Lee Mack, we’re confident that Semi-Detached is going to be a genuinely laugh-out loud series. Or your money back.”

BBC’s commissioning editor Gregor Sharp said: “Semi-Detached stands out from the crowd with its combination of intricate plotting and sustained comic action and we’re knocked out by the amazing cast that have come on board to bring David and Oliver’s sparkling scripts to life.”

Details of when Semi-Detached will air are yet to be announced.