BBC Three is on the run again with Witless
I’m beyond thrilled to get the chance to play the wonderfully playful puppy that is Leanne again. It’s such a pleasure to be working with everyone on this show – it has been a dream job and Zoe Boyle is a joy to work with.
BBC Three has commissioned a second series of Witless, the Kerry Howard and Zoe Boyle-fronted comedy, from Objective Fiction.Witless follows Leanne (Kerry Howard, Him & Her, and forthcoming Young Hyacinth) and Rhona (Zoe Boyle, Downton Abbey, Sons Of Anarchy), two ordinary flatmates whose lives are thrown into disarray after being forced into witness protection.
Written by Lloyd Woolf and Joe Tucker, the first series was heralded as ‘sharp, character comedy’ by Total TV Guide, and saw unwitting Leanne, and uptight Rhona, given new identities and left to fend for themselves in a grubby flat in Swindon. If being in ‘wit-pro’ wasn’t hard enough, the girls were then faced with two teenage underlings, the self-styled ‘DJ Sound as F***’ and ‘Appraisal’, sent by a criminal gang to track them down.
After becoming deeply entangled in the criminal world they were trying to escape, series one ended on an out-and-out cliff-hanger. Series two kicks off with the witless wonders facing their biggest scrape yet: with their ‘safe house’ no longer so safe, and unable to trust the police, Leanne and Rhona are on the run, again.
Kerry Howard says: “I’m beyond thrilled to get the chance to play the wonderfully playful puppy that is Leanne again. It’s such a pleasure to be working with everyone on this show – it has been a dream job and Zoe Boyle is a joy to work with. I cannot wait to read the scripts to see what Rhona and Leanne have to deal with this time – who knows what our mastermind writers Lloyd and Joe will come up with for this next series! They have absolutely nailed the art of a cliff-hanger. Let the drama and comedy roll on.”
Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning, says, “Witless has proved an instant smash hit for Three. The hooky narrative, superb performances and filmic execution landed it in the sweet spot for audiences who built and grew across the run. The cliff-hanger ending makes for an equally hilarious and gripping second series.”
Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, says: “We love Witless at BBC Three, and can’t wait to see what Leanne and Rhona get up to. BBC Three is home to the best new British comedy.”
Objective Fiction’s CCO, Ben Farrell, adds: “We’re absolutely delighted to be continuing Leanne and Rhona’s adventures in Witless. The next five episodes will be taking the story to a new level of thrills, twists and funnies that made series one so distinct.”
The 5×25 series was commissioned by Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, and Gregor Sharp and Kate Daughton, Commissioning Editors, BBC Comedy.
The series will be produced by Objective Fiction, part of Objective Media Group. Andrew Chaplin returns as director, and executive producers are Ben Farrell, Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf for Objective Fiction.
The first series was available from BBC Three from Friday 22 April, then repeated on BBC One on Fridays at 11.20pm. Series one is available to watch now from BBC Three.
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