BBC Brings Stage Comedy ‘The Goes Wrong Show’ To TV Backed By Lionsgate

Lionsgate has partnered with Big Talk Productions and Mischief Screen to bring a comedy stage play to BBC One.

The British public broadcaster has commissioned The Goes Wrong Show, which is based on Mischief Theatre’s eponymous play from the team behind Peter Pan Goes Wrong and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, which were previously adapted for television.

The six-part series follows the Cornley Drama Society undertaking another overly ambitious endeavour, held back by prolific over-actor Robert Grove, the screen-hogging Sandra Wilkinson and the artistically mistrusted Dennis Tyde. The half-hour episodes are described as “theatrical catastrophe”.

The Goes Wrong Show will be written by and star the original founding Mischief Theatre members including Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields alongside Nancy Zamit, Charlie Russell, Bryony Corrigan, Greg Tannahill, Dave Hearn and Chris Leask. It will be filmed in front of a live studio audience.

The Goes Wrong Show is commissioned by BBC’s Controller of Comedy Commissioning Shane Allen, Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content and Kate Daughton, Commissioning Editor for BBC. Lionsgate will sell internationally in a deal similar to its arrangement for Sharon Horgan-penned Motherland. YTD HK has acquired Chinese rights directly from Mischief Screen.

Filming begins March 2019 in Manchester and it is produced by Jim Poyser (Timewasters) and directed by Martin Dennis (Men Behaving Badly). It is exec produced by Hilary Strong and Kenny Wax for Mischief Screen, Kenton Allen, Saurabh Kakkar and Matthew Justice for Big Talk Productions.

BBC’s Allen said, “The two Christmas specials we’ve backed showed a huge audience appetite for this ensemble’s superbly inventive brand of family friendly comedy. BBC One has a unique role for viewers as the country’s sole provider of mainstream British comedy and it’s particularly gratifying to also be the only UK broadcaster still flying the flag for the studio sitcom with these fast rising stars.”

Mischief Theatre’s Lewis said, “Ever since we first began to make things go wrong all the way back in 2012 it has been a dream of ours to bring a series based on this joyful brand of humour to the screen and so when the BBC commissioned The Goes Wrong Show it was a dream come true. We’re so grateful for this incredible opportunity and we can’t wait to get started on making some truly terrible programmes. We are still very short on equipment – if you have a camcorder we can borrow, in any condition, please do fax us.”

Kenton Allen, CEO and Executive Producer, “Everyone at Big Talk Towers have been huge fans of the brilliant comic inventiveness of Henry, Jonathan, Henry and Team Mischief for a very long time, so we are delighted to help them make an entire BBC Television series go wrong. The scripts are truly terrible and we haven’t got a clue what we’re doing, so what’s the worst that can happen?”

Lionsgate UK CEO Zygi Kamasa added, “Lionsgate has a reputation for supporting and partnering with the best of British talent. We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at the BBC again on this superb project. We’ve admired all that the Mischief team do for such a long time making this a dream-come-true collaboration.”