Family Tree. Tom Chadwick (Chris O'Dowd). Copyright: Lucky Giant
Family Tree

Family Tree

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Two
  • 2013
  • 8 episodes (1 series)

Mockumentary starring Chris O'Dowd as a man who stumbles upon a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt. Stars Chris O'Dowd, Nina Conti, Tom Bennett, Michael McKean, Lisa Palfrey and Jim Piddock

Family Tree. Tom Chadwick (Chris O'Dowd). Credit: Lucky Giant

Key details

Genre
Sitcom
Broadcast
2013
Channel
BBC Two
Episodes
8 (1 series)
Creators
Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock
Stars
Chris O'Dowd, Nina Conti, Tom Bennett, Michael McKean, Lisa Palfrey and Jim Piddock
Writers
Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock
Directors
Christopher Guest and Christine Gernon
Producers
Charlotte Ashby, Christine Sacani, Megan Murphy, Christopher Guest, Jim Piddock, Karen Murphy, Chris Sussman, Deborah Oppenheimer and Mario Stylianides
Company

Family Tree follows the world and journey of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick. Having recently lost his job and girlfriend, Tom has a rather unsure sense of his own identity. But when he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt that he never met, he starts investigating his family lineage and uncovers a whole world of unusual stories and characters and a growing sense of who he is and who his real family are.

Family Tree is a single-camera, improvisational, mockumentary comedy, a style that Christopher Guest's films have pioneered in the past.

BBC commissioner Janice Hadlow says: "I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC. It has a stellar cast led by the fantastic Chris O'Dowd and is an exciting collaboration with NBCU International and HBO. Family Tree will form a key part of the channel's comedy next year."

Christopher Guest says: "I am also delighted to welcome myself to BBC Television. I am very lucky to be working with an incredibly talented cast. Chris O'Dowd has been on my radar ever since he was a child actor in Wales."

Chris O'Dowd adds: "I'm terribly excited and monumentally under-qualified to work on an improvised show with Chris Guest. I call him Chris 'coz we are friends. He calls me George. I don't know why."

Additional details

Production
Studio
Picture
Colour
Soundtrack
Incidental music by CJ Vanston. Original songs by Christopher Guest and CJ Vanston. End credit music written by Harlan Collins and Christopher Guest, and sung by Ron Sexsmith.

Website links

Broadcast details

First broadcast
Tuesday 16th July 2013 at 10pm on BBC Two

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