The Stage

Sky Arts unveils biggest investment in new comedy and drama

Published Thursday 23 February 2012 at 21:08 by Matthew Hemley

Emma Thompson is to play Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Jones will make his acting debut as part of a new strand of comedies and dramas to be broadcast on Sky Arts.

The broadcaster said the shows represent the channel’s “first significant investment in original British drama and comedy” since the announcement of its tripled budget last year. It said the new budget had enabled it to “increase its general entertainment, comedy and drama output.”

Sky Arts’ new comedy and drama strand is called Playhouse Presents… and comprises a series of one-off programmes featuring actors including Brenda Blethyn, Stephen Fry, Sheila Hancock, David Tennant and Olivia Williams.

Paul O’Grady has also written and will star in one of the programmes in the line-up, which has been described by Sky Arts as an “evolution” of the Playhouse series, which it said “champions innovative productions and original writing”

The broadcaster’s 2010 Sky Arts Playhouse – Live series followed on from 2009’s Theatre Live! and featured works from Mark Ravenhill and Eve Ensler. Toksvig, who has acted as executive producer on six of the new dramas and comedies announced today, oversaw both series.

She said: “This is my third year helping to bring new and original drama to Sky Arts. The range of astonishing creative talent available in the UK is not surprising but finding a television forum for it is not always easy in the current climate. Sky Arts has consistently shown a commitment to new work and to enabling writers, actors and directors to get on with what they do best – entertaining the audience.”

The new Playhouse Presents strand will include King of The Teds, written by Jim Cartwright and starring Jones, Blethyn and Alison Steadman, while Will Self has penned The Minor Character, which stars Tennant.

Other programmes include City Hall, starring Williams and Martin Shaw, and Care, starring Gina McKee.

O’Grady will star in Nellie and Melba, which he has penned with Toksvig.

Thompson will play the Queen in Walking the Dogs, which tells the true story of how an intruder broke into the Queen’s bedroom in 1982. This will also star Russell Tovey and Eddie Marsan.

Meanwhile, Fry will appear alongside Zoe Wanamaker and Stellan Skarsgard in The Man, and Geraldine James, Richard E Grant and Trevor Eve will appear in The Other Woman.

Other programmes include Nixon’s the One, starring Harry Shearer, Psychobitches, which Sky Arts said “takes famous females from history and puts them in the psychiatrist’s chair”, and The Snipist, starring Douglas Henshall.

The shows, which will begin to be broadcast in April, are being produced by Hat Trick Productions, Sprout Pictures, Tiger Aspect and Warp Films.

Meanwhile, Michael Parkinson is to host a new chat show called The Sky Arts Masterclass with Michael Parkinson.

This six-part series will see the presenter interview a different person from the arts each week, with each show featuring performances from the interviewee.

Sky Arts said this could include dramatic recitals or acoustic music sets.