This is our archive of pilots. These projects never made it to the broadcast stage.
See Me Afterwards
A panel game pilot for the radio created by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris. See Me Afterwards was described as "how school would have been if you'd got points rather than detention for mucking about."
The game was based around the events of the average school day, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Lunch, PE, French, Music and After School Clubs. However, the... Full Details
Freddi
Pilot comedy drama created by newcomer Sasha Alexander, which broaches the topical subject of Russian oligarchs in London.
Freddi has got it all - a successful business empire, a glamorous second wife, a loving daughter, a loyal bodyguard, and a vast mansion nestling in the Surrey countryside. But Freddi has a problem. Having made enough money for five lifetimes, he's not sure what... Full Details
The Full Montgomery
A sketch show starring Lucy Montgomery from Tittybangbang and Down the Line.
New characters include Moaner Lisa, the Wild Swimmers and Tim Vincent's Mum.
Writers supplying material included Graham Linehan, David Quantick, Jonny Sweet, Kevin Eldon, Rhys Thomas and Lucy herself. The script editor was Charlie Higson.
Lucy tried out sketches... Full Details
The Anna And Katy Show
BBC Radio 2 sketch show pilot starring Anna Crilly (Lead Balloon) and Katy Wix (Not Going Out) based on their 2005 and 2006 Edinburgh shows. The show was recorded on the 11th December 2008 at The Drill Hall. See also: Anna And Katy Salute You for BBC TV.
Armstrong And Miller Sitcom
Sitcom which will star Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller. The project is described as 'a slacker sitcom about office temps'. It is written by Louis Waymouth and Jamie Lennox who came to notice via their web series The Very Real Adventures of Batman and Robin on ComedyBox.
Miller says the series is about "that period in your life when everything is temporary - you've... Full Details
Second Life
Second Life (a working title) comes from writing duo Tess Morris and Sophie Hetherington.
The Intern Project
The Intern Project (working title) is a new sitcom project from Suburban Shootout writers Roger Beckett and Gary Martin.
Deadbeats
Deadbeats (a working title) was a non-broadcast sitcom pilot from writer Paul Rose (Dani's House, Biffovision).
All The Queens Men
All the Queens Men was a non-broadcast narrative project from Snuffbox writer/perfomers Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher.
CSI Nigeria
CSI Nigeria, a working title, is billed as a 'fish out of water' comedy from writers Andi Osho (Tonightly) and Israel Oyelumade (Video Nation) about a Nigerian police officer on secondment in suburban middle England.
Hash
Hash centres on the inept owner of an exclusive members club. It comes from Neill Southgate (The Friday Night Project), Nick Wealthall (Comedy Lab) and The Dawson Brothers (That Mitchell and Webb Look).
The Sci-Fi Project
Comedy from Still Game writers Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill. Also known as Two Bob Rocket. It was to be a sci-fi sitcom about a group of drop-out Glaswegian 'neds' who blast off into space. The show, which has the working title The Sci-Fi Project, considered the aftermath of a meteor crash in Scotland.
Adam's Family
A pilot episode of a new single-camera comedy commissioned by ITV. Adam's Family is told from the point of view of a video diary kept by a young teenage boy who is coming to terms with his new 'blended family' after one of his parents decides to re-marry.
The comedy was originally planned for the BBC, with the script written by Maya Forbes, Jack Williams and Harry Williams.... Full Details
Little White Lies
Hat Trick Productions was developing this sitcom based on the stage show created and performed at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival by comedian Isabel Fay.
The comedy was based on Fay's successful stage show, Altar Ego, which focuses on a character called Blodwin. She is an employee at an old people's home, who creates a fictional boyfriend to silence the staff who taunt her about... Full Details
Up Close And Personal
A 2007 TalkbackThames filmed sitcom pilot for ITV2. Up Close and Personal was a comedy set in the offices of a celebrity gossip magazine. The pilot starred Raquel Cassidy (Lead Balloon). It was written by Andy Rattenbury (Teachers) and directed by David Schneider (The Day Today).
The Cue Club
A sitcom by new writer Charles Stenner which was taken up by Norwich-based TV company Eastern Video. The comedy was set in a pub. The main character Cliff's business falls apart after his wife dies of cancer and the show charted how his friends and die-hard regulars got him out of trouble.
Seven Second Delay
A Granada comedy piloted by ITV1. It starred Chris Langham as a radio talkshow host, with Sally Phillips as his neighbour, a barrister in the throes of a divorce. It also featured Cavan Clerkin, Stewart Wright, Ben Crompton and Katie Lyons. 'Seven Second Delay is about that window of opportunity which allows us pause to think clearly, weigh up the pros and cons - and then make the wrong... Full Details
The Flat
Written by Dean Wilkinson (Ant and Dec Unzipped), The Flat is a sitcom about a pair of housemates. It starred Tom Price (Swinging) and Rufus Hound (Argumental). The directors were Paul McKie and David Sant and the producers Gil Isles and Michelle Lanaway.
The Mission
Sci-Fi sitcom pilot from Perfect Day Productions. The Mission focuses on 5 socially crippled and wonderfully inept agents who work for Mi8, a covert government agency. Mi8 s brief is to, seek out aggressive alien & paranormal incursions into the UK and eliminate them.
The Whipping Game
Sitcom about a down on their luck couple who move into a flat previously occupied by a Professional Dominatrix. Dave is a thirty-something cab driver who is always looking for the next big thing while Lisa, the more practical of the two, is content to let Dave do the dreaming. Within days of moving into their new home, they learn that the flat's previous occupant was a Professional Dominatrix who... Full Details
La Triviata
A sitcom from Simon Pegg about a pub quiz team. This project hasn't been officially cancelled but is unlikely to happen for quite some time as Pegg's Hollywood career is blossoming and he, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright are now committed to filming a third movie together and a 13-part comedy drama called Life and Other Distractions.
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill was commissioned by Five in 2006 but later dropped. It was to be a 'bawdy satire' on the actors, models and pop stars who live in the north London area. The comedy was written by Gimme Gimme Gimme and Beautiful People writer Jonathan Harvey.
Bread Heads
A sitcom by Peep Show writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain about a pair of entrepreneurs who cook up crazy ideas which they think can change the world.
Night School
Eight-part sitcom about a husband who teaches an investigative journalism course at an adult education college. Written by Hugo Simms.
My Generation
A comedy about the lives of five geriatrics who prove that today's older generation are less about Horlicks and slippers than self-medication and exploiting the system. Written by Simon Nye. Produced by TigerAspect.
Fire Station
White Watch are fire fighters in a small town but oppressive health and safety regulations mean there are not many fires to fight. They remain men, and a woman, with a mission: to cope with their various personality disorders, look heroic in uniform, and get very good at darts. Written by Simon Nye. Produced by TalkbackThames.
The pilot was filmed in mid-July 2006 at real fire... Full Details
What Would Jon Holmes Do?
What Would Jon Holmes Do, also known as Two Worlds Colliding, was a commission for Five. Writer and comedian Jon Holmes (The Now Show turned the sitcom pen on his own life more or less as it happened. Or rather, as it fails to happen to his satisfaction. The project was axed due to Five's reduced comedy budget.
Too Much Too Young
A sitcom pilot for BBC1 about a pair of childhood sweethearts who beat the odds, and stayed together. Angus and Shell started their family when they were just 18, but with daughter Kayleigh now on the cusp of adulthood they're discovering a whole new world of stress and worry. Bringing up kids is tough enough at the best of times - just imagine trying it when you've still got a lot of growing up... Full Details
Ardal O'Hanlon Sitcom
Comedy series written by Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon about a cable TV channel in western Ireland.
10:96
A police sitcom from the BBC's Manchester-based Comedy Unit. 10:96 starred Neil Fitzmaurice (Phoenix Nights) and Chris Bisson (Coronation Street) as two police officers patrolling Manchester's rough but fictional Langthorpe Estate. Fitzmaurice played acting Sergeant Gary Barnes, who was overly-sensitive about causing offence and consequently often said the wrong thing to his... Full Details
Great News
A sitcom set in the sleepy offices of Stowebridge Times, a local Wiltshire newspaper. The comedy comes from the team behind People Like Us (the 1999 - 2001 mockumentary). It revolves around 'six hapless journalists who are by turn competitive, ambitious, incompetent and lazy'. The pilot, which was filmed in December 2006, starred Laura Solon, Kevin McNally and Daisy... Full Details
Crawford Park
A Pozzitive Productions pilot written by Shaun Pye and Alan Connor (Monkey Dust) and produced / directed by Geoff Posner (Little Britain). Description: Crawford Park is a comedy set in the ever-popular world of conspiracy theory, UFOs, and mysterious intergalactic comings-and-goings, contrasting hilariously with the humdrum worklife of the average British skiver... Taking its... Full Details
Thor Sitcom
A sitcom about the Norse god of thunder written by Stewart Lee. Optioned by an independent production company.
The Brontes
Sitcom about The Bronte Sisters created and produced by Siobhan Rhodes-Johnson for Tiger Aspect. The pilot was written and performed by Bridget Christie, Colin Hoult, Joanna Neary and Isy Suttie. Stewart Lee was the director and script editor.
Hibbert And Long
Comedy pilot for ITV1 written by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. Billed as a modern take on BBC classic The Liver Birds, the sitcom follows the lives of two flatmates in their late twenties. The pilot of Hibbert and Long starred stand-up comedian Kerry Godliman, Lucy Montgomery (Tittybangbang), Tom Ellis and Simon Day (The Fast Show). Produced by ITV... Full Details
Here Comes The Queen
Sitcom pilot from Worldwide Theatrix. Filmed in Bury St Edmunds, Here Comes the Queen was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft ('Allo 'Allo and Dad's Army) and starred Les Dennis and ex-EastEnder Wendy Richards. The pilot follows the story of a brother and sister from Romford who discover they are the two remaining heirs to a Russian throne. Also appearing were Philip... Full Details
Zip And Hollow
Sitcom written by Penny Croft (the daughter of David Croft). Set in the Suffolk village of Ixworth, Zip and Hollow follows the lives of five friends, who come together once a week at a local Pilates class. The show's tag line is 'East Anglian and proud of it!'. The cast includes Liza Goddard, Helen Atkinson Wood (Blackadder), Jimmy Yuill, Desmond Barrit, Richard Stacey, Niky Wardley... Full Details
Adam And Eve
A new romantic comedy from Coupling creator Steven Moffat. It tells the story of a boss called Adam and his PA, called Eve. They have known each other all their lives but never got together. The writer is describing the show as being about 'a love story that never happens'. The BBC have showed an interest in the programme, which was being produced by Hartswood Films, but did not formally... Full Details
Jeremy Lion Sitcom
A sitcom pilot for ITV written by and starring Justin Edwards (Respectable, The Thick of It). The comedy is based on Edwards' hit Perrier nominated Edinburgh Fringe show which was based around the character of Jeremy Lion - the drunken children's entertainer. The project was also set to star Miranda Hart and Gus Brown.
Soapington Way
Spoof soap opera set around the duck pond of the fictional town of Waffingham. The project (which was previously known under the working title Extreme Soap) was created by comedian Harry Hill and the writers included Dan Maier, David Quantick, Brenda Gilhooly, Paul Hawksbee and Andrew Collins. Hill plays the part of landlord Arthur Buttons who falls in love with his mad sex-change sister.... Full Details
Till I Die
Pilot sitcom about a group of London-based Man City football fans who get the train up to Manchester each weekend to watch their team produced by Hat Trick. It starred Steve Edge and former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay as married fans. It was written by Aschlin Ditta. No news on whether ITV are pursuing this project any further, but we deem this to be unlikely since Steve Edge has starred... Full Details
Candy Chops
A Curb Your Enthusiasm-style sitcom pilot by Kelly Marcel and actor Tom Hardy which tells the story of aspiring rap artist Ethx. Candy Chops was being made in association with Rob Brydon's production company Arbie.
Bewitched
A BBC remake of Bewitched, the classic American sitcom which ran for eight series on ABC in the States between 1964 and 1972. The sitcom follows the life and adventures of Samantha, a witch married to a suburban advertising executive.
The original sitcom was being adapted for a modern UK audience by My Hero creator Paul Mendelson. The pilot, filmed in early 2008,... Full Details
Absolutely Scrabulous
Sitcom pilot about Scrabble players written by Richard Herring. More details from Herring's blog. It is now known that this is not proceeding any further.
Hey Hey We're The Monks
Thirty-one, unemployed and single, Gary Woodcroft (played by James Corden from Gavin and Stacey) has never done a single useful thing in his life. Allowed, through some clerical error, to collect benefits uninterrupted for 18 years, Gary has cost the taxpayer more than the war. But all that is about to change.
There aren't many places so chronically understaffed that they'd... Full Details
Terry Across The Mersey
Terry Across the Mersey is about a chancer who leads a complicated and risky double life. The tag line of the show is: 'Two lives, two wives and too much to lose'. The pilot starred Dean Sullivan (best known for playing Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside) as Terry Valentine and other confirmed cast members include Suzanne Collins, Anne-Marie Davies, Pauline Fleming, Louis Emerick, Stephen... Full Details
Vic And Bob Superhero Sitcom
Vic Reeves announced that he and comedy partner Bob Mortimer were working on a new sitcom. Reeves told North-East newspaper The Journal: "It's about super heroes who get skills through a telegraph pole that malfunctions and they go around helping people in their local community."
Arcadia
Arcadia was a youthful sitcom pilot "from the makers of The IT Crowd" (we assume this means TalkbackThames). It was set around Clacton's finest computer games shop Games 4 U. The shop is in financial trouble and ever-so-slightly neurotic manager Tony (Nick Mohammed) is doing his best to keep things afloat, ably assisted by Mr Sci-Fi convention himself, Jeremy Stokes (Matt... Full Details
The Friday Night Club
Pilot about a disparate but devoted group of 20-somethings, friends since Uni, who go their own way all week but meet up every Friday evening at the same bar to decide how to spend the evening... or even the weekend. The pilot, which was filmed in March 2008, starred Rosalind Halstead, Nigel Harman (EastEnders), Rhodri Meilir (My Family), Sarah Smart and Sheridan... Full Details
Bob Mortimer Sitcom
Non-broadcast sitcom pilot written by Bob Mortimer. Mackenzie Crook and Iain Lee starred as two guys who live together. "Crazy things happen, like Rod Stewart sending an electrified box with 75 quid in it. The guys try to break into it but keep getting shocks."
Zoom
Radio sitcom featuring Mark Evans and fellow Mitchell and Webb writer James Bachman. This was the description: Set in a world just like ours - only sillier and a lot more exciting - Zoom features the adventures of flatmates James and Mark and their ex-Special forces neighbour, Ken. In the pilot episode James and Mark - lifelong friends, lifelong rivals - find their world turned... Full Details