5^th August 2013: As part of Sky’s continuing investment in original content, Sky 1 HD is delighted to announce that its brand new comedy Chickens will launch on the channel and on Sky Go from Thursday 22^nd August. Sky customers will be able to see an exclusive preview of the first episode through Sky’s On Demand service from 16th August.

Written by and starring Simon Bird, Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas, this six part series is a First World War sitcom about three young men left behind in a world of women as the Nation’s heroes are fighting the good fight on foreign soil.

Barry Humphries will make a return to British television in a recurring guest role as Mr Armstrong, the headmaster at the local school. Mr Armstrong thinks George (Thomas), Cecil (Bird) and Bert (Sweet) are beneath contempt but, with no other men to talk to, he takes great joy in letting them know just how pathetic he thinks they are.

Meanwhile, George struggles to keep his engagement to Winky (Sarah Daykin, Dead Boss) alive as she tries to deal with the embarrassment of dating someone who should be doing his duty, whilst Cecil’s sister, Agnes (Emerald Fennell, Anna Karenina) upholds her position as queen bee of the village to ensure her brother’s life remains as uncomfortable as possible.

As the entire village continues to scorn George, Cecil and Bert - including Gracie (Louise Ford, Misfits), Agnes’ best friend, Dot (Amy Dawson, Game of Thrones), the barmaid at The Cock and Bull, Hesta (Vicki Pepperdine, Getting On) the matriarch of the village, Gladys (Eileen Davies, Sightseers), a foul-mouthed OAP who lives in the woods, and young mother Nellie (Emma Fryer, Phone Shop) - we see whether they can gradually claw themselves back into the good books and be accepted back into society. Sally Phillips (Miranda) will also guest star later in the series as Miss Trimble, the village outcast who George invites for dinner much to the disgust of Cecil and Bert.

In the first episode, it’s November 1914 and the women are trying to decide who should be the

Guy they burn on Bonfire Night. Frustrated by the absence of a bomb factory in the village, Cecil is forced to join the Needlework Guild to demonstrate his commitment to the war effort. George, irked by Cecil's new hobby, resolves to dial up his anti-war activities. Meanwhile, Bert and Agnes come to a mutually-beneficial sexual arrangement.

Sky 1 HD’s CHICKENS is part of Sky’s commitment to increase its investment in original British content by 50% by 2014 when Sky expects to invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels.  

This commitment follows the success of home-grown content such as entertainment hits GOT TO DANCE and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, dramas such as STRIKE BACK and MAD DOGS, comedies such as TROLLIED and STELLA and factual shows such as AN IDIOT ABROAD and the BAFTA-winning documentary FLYING MONSTERS 3D.   

Chickens will air on Sky 1 HD and Sky 1+ 1 from Thursday 22^nd August 2013 at 9.30pm in a night that also features the return of Trollied, back for a third series at 9pm, and another chance to see Common Ground at 10pm.

 

Customers will also be able to watch Chickens with Sky Go available on PC, Xbox, iPad and selected smartphones at no extra cost.

 

Sky customers will be able to see an exclusive preview of the first episode via Sky On Demand from 16^th August.

For further information please contact

Sarah Aspinall - Senior Publicist, Sky
T:
E: Sarah.Aspinall@bskyb.com

Charlotte Jordan - PR Assistant, Sky
T:
E: charlotte.jordan@bskyb.com

Notes to editor

About Sky

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company.  Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.
 
Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.3 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes.  More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.
 
Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator.  Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.  
 
Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi.  NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV.  Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.
 
Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts.  Sky employs 23,000 people, has annual revenues of £6.8 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP.  Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY).  www.sky.com/corporate
 
About Sky 1 HD

Sky 1 HD is the most watched non-terrestrial channel in Sky homes, attracting more than 20m unique viewers every month and, according to the latest tracker results (October – December, 2011), was the third highest valued channel amongst all Sky subscribers behind only BBC1 and ITV1.
 
Sky 1 HD distinguishes itself from rival networks with original drama and comedy, talked about entertainment formats, distinctive factual programming and award-winning exclusive US drama.


About Big Talk Productions

Big Talk Productions is one of the UK's leading film and television production companies. It has a fantastic slate of original TV comedy and drama, and a track record in developing talent such as Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright whose cult television series Spaced paved the way for Big Talk’s hit films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Paul.

In recent years Big Talk has gone from strength to strength with a string of award winning productions from BAFTA-award winning Rev (BBC2), to RTS Best Comedy Performance winning Him & Her (BBC3). Meanwhile Friday Night Dinner (Channel 4), and Threesome (Comedy Central), have enjoyed two highly successful series, and Chickens (Sky 1), written by and starring Simon Bird, Joe Thomas & Jonny Sweet and The Job Lot (ITV1) starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Hadland, both have upcoming series.

Big Talk made its move into drama programming in 2012 with The Town (ITV1), written by Laurence Olivier-winning playwright Mike Bartlett, starring Andrew Scott and Martin Clunes, and smash-hit miniseries A Young Doctor’s Notebook (Sky Arts), which starred Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe. Upcoming dramas include Youngers (E4), about a group of 16 year-old kids in East London, and Our Men (BBC2) starring long-term collaborators Mitchell and Webb.

In film, Big Talk has made 21st century classics Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Also directed by Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Paul, while Joe Cornish’s directorial debut Attack the Block was released to fantastic reviews and awards. Sightseers, directed by Ben Wheatley, had its world premiere at Cannes and is now showing across the UK. Coming next are In Fear, Jeremy Lovering’s psychological thriller and Cuban Fury, a Salsa dancing rom-com starring Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O'Dowd and Ian McShane. The World’s End, the third collaboration between director Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, finished shooting December 2012 for release in 2013.