W1A
- TV sitcom
- BBC Two
- 2014 - 2020
- 14 episodes (3 series)
Spin-off from Twenty Twelve in which Ian Fletcher and Siobhan Sharpe now find themselves working for the BBC. Stars Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes, Jason Watkins, Monica Dolan, Hugh Skinner and more.
Streaming rank this week: 1,072
Episode menu
Series 3, Episode 3
Further details
The search for new ways of saving money at the BBC continues - particularly important in the light of charter renewal. Having dismissed the idea of losing programmes about gardening as a possible solution the renewal team propose that the cutting of the BBC Big Swing Band might send out a useful message.
PR guru Siobhan Sharpe is leading the creative journey towards launching BBC Me, a new online platform. It is thought to be a good idea to create a launch trail which would include as many people as possible doing selfies of themselves saying the word "Me" in the hope that the trail will go viral.
Finally, Head of News Neil Reid has to wrangle a significant problem of his own when the latest version of the BBC's automatic live subtitling software is shown to have some major defects - such as getting the spelling of proper names embarrassingly wrong.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Monday 2nd October 2017
- Time
- 10pm
- Channel
- BBC Two
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
| Hugh Bonneville | Ian Fletcher |
| Jessica Hynes | Siobhan Sharpe |
| Jason Watkins | Simon Harwood |
| Monica Dolan | Tracey Pritchard |
| Hugh Skinner | Will Humphries |
| Nina Sosanya | Lucy Freeman |
| Sarah Parish | Anna Rampton |
| David Westhead | Neil Reid |
| Rufus Jones | David Wilkes |
| Ophelia Lovibond | Izzy Gould |
| Jonathan Bailey | Jack Patterson |
| Max Olesker | Ben Rosenstern |
| Ivan Gonzalez | Jerry Guildencrantz |
| Sara Pascoe | Coco Lomax |
| Alex Beckett | Barney Lumsden |
| Joel Fry | Karl Marx |
| David Tennant | Narrator |
| Laurence Howarth | Adam Brady (Staff Trainer) |
| Daniel Ings | Matt Taverner (Comedy Drama Exec) |
| Will Sharpe | Michael Chung |
| Rose Matafeo | Chloe |
| Pooky Quesnel | Fiona Craig |
| Emma Sidi | Zoe |
| Jeffery Kissoon | Ray Fredericks |
| Emily Lloyd-Saini | PA |
| Shauna Shim | Donna Fredericks |
| Lenny Henry | Self |
| Louise Minchin | Self |
| Jeremy Paxman | Self |
| Dan Walker | Self |
| John Morton | Writer |
| John Morton | Director |
| Paul Schlesinger | Producer |
| Jon Plowman | Executive Producer |
| Robin Hill | Editor |
| Andrew Stephenson | Production Designer |
| Rachel Freck | Casting Director |
| Natalie Willis | Costume Designer |
| Ben Wheeler | Director of Photography |
| Nicola Coleman | Make-up Designer |
| Andrew Blaney | Composer |
| Chris May | 1st Assistant Director |
Video
Basically, we're pretty happy with it
Neil Reid struggles to see the benefit of the Syntipatico upgrade. It has 93% accuracy in the captions.
Featuring: David Westhead (Neil Reid), David Tennant & Laurence Howarth (Adam Brady).
Press
A note to the writers of W1A; having your characters spitting out the words "yeah", "no", "right" or, in poor Sarah Parish's case, "yes exactly" over and over and over again in staccato fashion is neither witty or endearing. Rather, it's migraine-inducingly irritating, maddening beyond all reason and it makes consuming the show a gruelling, mirthless chore. This week, if you're willing to chew through it, the renewal team discuss the BBC's orchestras.
Ben Arnold, The Guardian, 2nd October 2017W1A, episode 3 review
Three series in, this one-time funny sitcom is just irritating.
Rupert Hawksley, The Telegraph, 2nd October 2017