Merseyside’s biggest comedy export, Johnny Vegas, has landed yet another acting gig with good old BBC 1 and this time it’s in his very own sitcom, Home From Home. Having impressed as a pilot episode for BBC 2’s New On Two, part of the Landmark Sitcom Season broadcast earlier in the year, the Beeb has confirmed that it will be picking up series 1 of the show.
It follows up on a number of acting roles for Vegas in recent years, who appears to have made the transition from stand-up comedy to the make-believe of telly pretty seamlessly. His previous efforts for BBC 1 include Still Open All Hours, where he stars alongside David Jason as Wet Eric Agnew, and the TV film adaptation of David Williams’ Mr. Stink back in 2012, so he’s had a decent amount of comic TV tutelage along the way.
Only the pilot was filmed as part of the Landmark Sitcom Season, so production for the rest of the season is still in the wings, planned for 2017, so the air date won’t be until later next year. Hopefully, it’ll land sometime in either late spring or early summer to bring in a little homegrown comedy sunshine to the BBC 1 viewing schedule with the lack of The Great British Bake Off from next year.
If you missed the pilot, the story revolves around Neil Hackett (Johnny Vegas) and his wife Fiona as they finally fulfill their life ambition of owning a ‘traditional’ lodge in the Lake District. However, paradise suddenly looks a lot less appealing when they wake up in their lodge at the Lake View Holiday Park to find that their next door neighbours, the Dillons, appear to be better than them in every way imaginable.
In addition to Vegas as uptight dad Neil, the cast also includes Joanna Page of Gavin And Stacy fame, who plays his long-suffering wife Fiona. On the richer, more glamorous and adventurous side of the divide is Adam James (Silent Witness) as Robert Dillon and Emilia Fox (The Wrong Mans) as his wife Penny.
Home From Home Series 1 has been written by Chris Fewtrell and Simon Crowther and will be created by BBC Studios. Rebecca Papworth is the producer and Chris Sussman and Steve Canny will be sharing the honours as executive producers.
It looks like it going to be a low key sitcom with a modern twist on The Good Life mismatch of neighbours and with both Johnny Vegas and Joanna Page in the cast it should have more than a few good laughs. With the success of Car Share last year, we reckon there’s plenty of room for more new sitcoms and Home From Home should be one to look out for when the air date finally rolls around in 2017.
