Video: Gina McKee and Kimberley Nixon on Hebburn

Gina McKee and Kimberley Nixon tell us about having fun on the Tyne with their new BBC comedy, Hebburn.

They also talk about working with comedians Jason Cook and Vic Reeves.

Chris Ramsey interview

Chris Ramsey talks about what can we expect from the new family-based sitcom.

Hebburn is a fairly warm-hearted new sitcom written by stand-up comic Jason Cook. Set in the unremarkable town of Hebburn, South Tyneside, where Cook grew up, it revolves around a close-knit working-class family headed by Vic Reeves (billed under real name Jim Moir) and Gina McKee. He's affable and blokey, she's overbearingly well-meaning in the way sitcom mums almost always are.

Rounding out the brood are comedian Chris Ramsey - who looks like Stan Laurel moonlighting as a member of One Direction - as the prodigal son awkwardly introducing his "girlfriend" (Fresh Meat's Kimberley Nixon) to the family. But unbeknownst to them, the pair secretly wed in Vegas. Oh no! Apparently.

There's also a daffy gran prone to inappropriate outbursts, and a tart-with-a-heart sister. So no, it won't win any awards for originality (if indeed such awards existed). And that's Hebburn's problem: although it's packed with gags, they're mostly rather obvious and unremarkable. Cook - who also appears in a supporting role - can't resist all the usual cheap tracksuits and fake-tan jibes, and even throws a cheesy pub singer in for good measure. Tinged with pathos and black comedy, it's amiable enough, and nicely performed - especially by McKee, reminding us that she's capable of delivering much more than the frosty types she's usually cast as. But it isn't remotely distinctive or original.

The road to Hebburn

Jason Cook's had his fair share of sleepless nights thinking about BBC2 sitcom Hebburn. In the months before filming, he worked 14 hour days, seven days a week, for weeks on end, growing increasingly infatuated with how he would portray life for the Pearson family in one of the North East's less inviting towns.

Spotlight on... Hebburn

The comedy, written by comedian Jason Cook, who also stars as Jack's best friend, is inspired by Cook's real family and his hometown in the North East - Hebburn.

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Gina McKee interview

Gina McKee plays a mum in a new six-part sitcom set in the north-east. When prodigal son Jack returns home with a young woman in tow, he has to find the right time to tell his parents that, actually, he's now a married man...

North east premiere preview for Hebburn...

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Comedian Jason Cook puts Hebburn on TV map

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