ITV1 commissions festive hotel comedy drama film

Friday 31st August 2007, 4:08am

ITV1 has commissioned a two-hour comedy drama film called Christmas at the Riviera from Hotel Babylon producer Carnival Films.

The comedy will follow what happens when the fictional Riviera seaside hotel in Eastbourne is left in the hands of hapless assistant manager Ashley Dodds. The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith will take the lead role as Dodds, a man who is excited to be left in charge and is determined to make it the best Christmas ever for his guests. However, his plans go horribly wrong from the moment the guests start arriving.

The cast list includes a number of other well-known comedy actors including Alexander Armstrong (Armstrong and Miller), Darren Boyd (Green Wing), Anna Chancellor (Suburban Shootout) and sitcom veteran Sam Kelly ('Allo 'Allo, Barbara).

Warren Clarke (Dalziel and Pascoe) will play a cantankerous guest called Maurice, whose life is turned around during his stay at the Riviera Hotel, with Barbara Flynn (Cracker) playing his long suffering wife Rita. Meanwhile Pam Ferris (Rosemary and Thyme) stars as Avril, an ageing, man-eating divorcee desperate to find love.

The comedy drama is being written, produced and directed by Mark Bussell and Justin Sbresni, the team behind BBC1's popular but recently cancelled sitcom The Worst Week of My Life. The creators call the film "an enchanting and exuberant comedy drama... like mulled wine, it's sweet, it's piquant and sometimes very hot; a story of love, betrayal and stuffing."

ITV director of drama, Laura Mackie said: "Justin Sbresni and Mark Bussell's lively and captivating script combines their talent for high comedy with poignant drama and captures all the highs and lows of the festive season."

Filming is currently taking place on location in Eastbourne and Buckinghamshire, and the programme will be shown on ITV1 during the festive season.

In the meantime, from the 19th September, Reece Shearsmith will be starring in Self-Storage, a new Radio 4 sitcom about a divorced man who loses his job and ends up living in a self storage unit. Alexander Armstrong will be back on screens shortly in the new Armstrong and Miller sketch show. Meanwhile Darren Boyd is currently playing a small-minded neighbour in Saxondale and Anna Chancellor can be seen in the new series of Suburban Shootout from next week.

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