Cat/Person, the podcast-based sitcom created by Chris Heath and co-starring Sue Vincent, has been optioned for television development.

Saffron Cherry Productions, the company behind hit murder mystery series The Madame Blanc Mysteries, has secured the TV rights for the comedy which is based on a series of overheard conversations between a broken man (Heath) and Hobson (Vincent), his sarcastic, selfish, sociopathic rescue cat.

The announcement comes as brand-new episodes of the audio sitcom are being released on podcast platforms weekly from today.

Cat/Person, now starting its second series, launched as a three-part comedy in April. The description for the show is as follows: "Cat/Person accurately and hilariously encapsulates the kind of relentless emotional hazing that cats love to lavish on their eager-to-please 'owners'. Matthew is doing his best to keep himself from falling into a black hole following an unhappy divorce. To get him through the dark days, his friends recommend that he gets himself an emotional support animal.

"Unfortunately, after a trip to the local animal shelter, he chose Hobson, a rescue cat played by Sue Vincent. Matthew is sentimental, messy and lonely. Hobson is hungry and is insisting on a treat. Immediately.

"In each episode, we are privy to a selection of conversations between human and cat, as Matthew tries his best to navigate his new life as a near shut-in, with Hobson conveniently on-hand to point out just how badly he's doing at this. We'll be listening in as Matthew tackles the biggest obstacles in life as he now knows it: social media, insomnia, love, death, sex, comfort eating and drinking."

Cat/Person will now be developed as a TV format by Saffron Cherry Productions in Manchester, led by MD Caroline Roberts-Cherry, with writer, producer and actor Sally Lindsay as creative director.

Roberts-Cherry says: "Chris has a brilliant ability to make his audience laugh and Cat/Person is the latest creation he has brought to Saffron Cherry Productions. We love working with both Chris and Sue, and so this really is the Cat's Whiskers."

Chris Heath comments: "It's stupidly exciting to see what's next for Cat/Person... It's picked up a real groundswell through word of mouth and I know there's no better place to build the show than at Saffron Cherry, with Caroline and Sally."

Sue Vincent adds: "Being the voice of Hobson is an absolute joy. Cat/Person is the perfect blend of belly laughter and tears. The relationship between a man and his cat is a complex one, especially when it's a cat with an ego."

Cat/Person is available on podcast apps including iTunes, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher and Pandora