London (28 June 2012):  Sky Atlantic HD today announces a brand new 14 part Entertainment series from Princess Productions and Susquehanna Hats.  SET LIST is a fully improvised stand-up show in front of a live audience which takes the cream of the comedy circuit and presents them with the ultimate challenge: come up with a brand new comedy routine on the spot based on topics presented to them right there and then while on stage.

With the best names from the world of comedy, including: Robin Williams, Ross Noble, Russell Kane, Tim Minchin, Drew Carey, Frank Skinner and Dara O’Briain , SET LIST challenges some of the biggest names in comedy to a gig like no other, full of weird concepts and challenging juxtapositions.

SET LIST, a format devised by Troy Conrad, will sit alongside Sky Atlantic HD’s recently launched comedy slate, which includes brand new shows, exclusively for Sky customers from on and off-screen talent, including Steve Coogan, Kathy Burke, Armando Iannucci and Julia Davis. The new series forms part of Sky’s on-going drive to bring more high-quality, exclusive content to customers, supported by its commitment to increase investment in home-grown programming to £600 million by 2014, an increase of more than 50% over three years.

Each SET LIST show will see three comics take to the stage to be presented with an unseen set list of wildly unpredictable and imaginative key phrases, crafted by fellow comedians Paul Provenza and Troy Conrad. From these they must create spontaneous, original stand-up sets under pressure and in front of a live audience.  

In addition to the comedians’ improvised routines, SET LIST will also show exclusive footage from both backstage and the green room. This backstage footage will intercut the main onstage performances and provide revelatory moments where we watch our comedians squirm, congratulate each other, discuss each other’s routines and comment on the extreme jeopardy of SET LIST.

Mixing onstage performances with behind-the-scenes anxiety, reactions and recaps, SET LIST takes its audience through a high-energy, nerve-wracking event: the tightrope walk of comedy gigs.

 About SET LIST, Naomi Gibney, Acting Director of Sky Atlantic, said:

“A key part of our commissioning strategy for Sky Atlantic has been to attract the best talent to the channel, blending US and UK talent to give our customers the best content from both sides of the Atlantic.  SET LIST really illustrates that ambition, and I can’t wait to see how they live up to the challenge."

Philip Edgar-Jones, Sky’s Head of Entertainment, added:

"SET LIST is a uniquely terrifying approach to stand-up comedy. I love it because we have no idea what we'll get. It’s like a bizarre compulsion to some of the biggest names in stand-up who are addicted to the freedom it brings them to take their comedy anywhere and everywhere."

Victoria Payne, Executive Producer for Princess Productions added:

“SET LIST: Stand Up Without A Net has proven to be an innovative and thrilling live comedy hit across the globe, which challenges comedians and tests their mettle. We're very pleased to be bringing this exciting new format to Sky Atlantic HD and to be showcasing the best and bravest comedians from around the world.”

Barbara Romen, Troy Conrad and Paul Provenza of Susquehanna Hats said:

“We're not only taking viewers backstage, we're taking them ONTO the stage - to feel the intense pressure, suspense, joys - and sometimes, anguish - that comedians experience as they take unimaginable creative leaps in front of a live audience. Viewers will never look at the art of stand-up the same way after seeing SET LIST. Audiences actually see their favourite comics’ mental wheels in motion as they spontaneously create material that they might otherwise never have dreamed up. Set List is the beginning of a revolution in stand-up comedy.”

SET LIST is a Princess and Susquehanna Hats production, exclusively for Sky Atlantic HD.  The Executive Producers are Victoria Payne for Princess Productions, Paul Provenza, Barbara Romen and Troy Conrad for Susquehanna Hats, and Antonia Hurford-Jones. The series was commissioned by Philip Edgar-Jones, Sky’s Head of Entertainment.