David Mitchell and Robert Webb are returning to Channel 4 with a sketch show which sees them combine forces with future stars.
Mitchell & Webb will be supported by an ensemble cast of next generation writer/performers: Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Lara Ricote, Stevie Martin, and Krystal Evans, plus a team of established and upcoming comic writers.
The six-part series will be produced by That Mitchell & Webb Company in association with Big Talk Studios (Friday Night Dinner, Back, Ludwig), which is part of ITV Studios, and helmed by the BAFTA-winning duo’s long-standing producer Gareth Edwards
The show was commissioned by Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy and Joe Hullait, Commissioning Executive, Comedy at Channel 4. Executive Producers are Kenton Allen for Big Talk Studios, David Mitchell, and Robert Webb.
David Mitchell and Robert Webb say: “When Channel 4 asked us to do another sketch show we were startled, bemused and available. It’s a perilous time for the industry and so it’s our hope that relaunching the trickiest genre of comedy is a brilliant piece of counterintuitive commissioning. And we’re confident that unlike Roger Moore with his shoe on the bonnet of a car teetering on the edge of a cliff in For Your Eyes Only [REPLACE WITH 21ST CENTURY REFERENCE?] we’re not about to give British TV comedy a final lethal nudge into the abyss.
“We’re looking forward to working with our brilliant new cast despite their youth and talent and would like to encourage viewers to watch the advert break carefully and do their best to buy something. It doesn’t have to be a car but, you know, a box of chocolates or an app or something.”
Kiell Smith-Bynoe said: “Getting to join this project with comedy legends Mitchell & Webb feels like getting to sit on the grown-ups table that you’ve been trying to get on for years, then you realise the grown-ups are just as funny, silly and they’ll let you have a sip of Advocaat. I’m really excited to be a part of this long-awaited return of comedy royalty.”
Lara Ricote said: “I am overjoyed to be making this with the best there is. It’s such a silly, good and sweet group and the sketches are just very funny. I am feeling very lucky to be part of this. The writers’ rooms were SO fun and now we get to act in it? It’s a dream!”
Stevie Martin said: “I started doing online sketches because I never thought I’d get to do sketch comedy on actual TV – but now I’m doing it on actual TV with the two people who made me want to be a sketch comedian in the first place?! It’s absolutely wild. Also they’ve both been so fun and generous to work with – plus David was very nice when I said I enjoyed his show ‘Luther’.”
Krystal Evans said: “Working with these guys and this incredibly talented cast is an actual dream come true and also they give us free biscuits and if we’re really good, pizza.”
Mitchell and Webb are best known on Channel 4 for their cultural hit phenomenon, Peep Show. After nine series, it is Channel 4’s longest running sitcom and to this day, Peep Show remains one of the best performing comedy shows on streaming. With Peep Show cementing their comedy partnership, Mitchell and Webb went on to success with That Mitchell & Webb franchise of radio and television sketches and became two of the UK’s most exportable television talents.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe is best known for his role as Mike in the BAFTA-nominated sitcom Ghosts (BBC) and for playing Dean in the BAFTA-winning comedy Stath Lets Flats (Channel 4). An actor and writer, he has also starred in crime drama Death in Paradise (BBC) and the comedies Dreamland (Sky TV), Bloods (Sky TV) and Murder They Hope (BBC). At 2021’s Edinburgh Fringe, he co-starred in the musical comedy String V SPITTA and had his own late-night improv show Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Friends: Kool Story Bro.
Lara Ricote is a Mexican-American-Venezuelan comedian and writer whose debut show, GRL/LATNX/DEF, won the Best Newcomer Award at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She also won the 2021 Funny Stage Women Award and has performed on Mel Giedroyc’s Unforgivable (Dave) and Live at the Apollo (BBC).
Stevie Martin is a comedian, writer and podcaster. Her award-winning viral sketches with Lola-Rose Maxwell have amassed over 20 million views (3 million on TikTok), and her two hit podcasts collectively receive over 100,000 downloads a month: Might Delete Later with Gina Martin and Nobody Panic with Tessa Coates, which has been adapted into a hit book. Stevie’s recent television appearances include 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4), Starstruck (HBO Max / BBC), Breeders (FX/Sky) and Late Night Mash (Dave).
Krystal Evans is an American comedian based in the UK. Her sizzling debut show – The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp – was met with rapturous reviews when she took it to Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. Krystal has previously appeared on BBC’s Comedy Underground, Scot Squad (BBC), Breaking the News (BBC), BBC New Comedy Award, Bad Influencer with Mark Nelson (BBC) and Socially Distant with Susan Calman (BBC).
Pippa Considine
Share this story
