Tom Ellis, Joanna Page and Sue Johnston star in GATES

Award-winning Benidorm writer Derren Litten pens a new 7 x 30’ comedy and 1 x 60’ to be produced by Tiger Aspect

10 May 2012, London: Today Sky Living HD re-affirms its commitment to invest in original content as the channel announces two new, unmissable and exclusive comedies, GATES and THE SPA.

GATES (5 x 30) stars an exceptional ensemble cast headed by Sue Johnston (The Royle Family, Waking The Dead), Tom Ellis (Miranda, Merlin), Joanna Page (Gavin and Stacey, Love Actually) and 2011’s Orange Rising Star winner Adam Deacon (Kidulthood, Being Human) set in the all too familiar chaos of the school gates.

Ellis and Page play parents Mark and Helen who’ve recently moved to the South East where their nine-year-old daughter is starting at a new primary school. And they’re about to discover what happens when your children choose your friends.

Essentially a character comedy, but with a nod to those sketch-like moments of madness which can only ever happen in the playground, GATES casts an eye on how relationships with parents formed during fifteen minutes of a school drop off and pick up can so easily take over your life.  The school gates can be an unforgiving, socially exposed political minefield.

In addition, THE SPA has been commissioned by Sky’s Head of Comedy, Lucy Lumsden and is written by the award-winning British writer and actor Derren Litten (Benidorm and The Catherine Tate Show).  

The series will transmit later in the year sitting at the heart of the channels autumn schedule. This exciting new British comedy ¬is set in a Hertfordshire spa that proudly boasts it can cure anyone; the fat, the thin and the lazy. But sadly that couldn’t be further from the truth.

This new narrative comedy signifies a bold new direction for Sky Living HD in to the world of scripted comedy and further demonstrates Sky’s commitment to producing original British content.

THE SPA will feature Derren's trademark larger than life characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and outrageous storytelling. The series features Alison (Rebecca Front, Grandma’s House, The Thick of It), the ambitious yet misguided spa manageress, whose tactless approach and initiatives have a habit of plunging the spa into utter chaos.

The ensemble cast will also feature a number of outlandish characters who work at the spa such as Marcus (Derren Litten, Benidorm, The Catherine Tate show) a wheelchair-bound fitness instructor; a particularly well-endowed handy man called Eric (Tim Healy, Benidorm, Waterloo Road); Davina (Debbie Chazen, Tittybangbang, Psychoville) a hippie therapist; an over-zealous personal trainer named Vron (Nadine Marshall, Criminal Justice, The Smoking Room); a chef with some unusual recipes and a suicidal cleaner. The series will also feature special guests as spa members.

Jane Johnson, Director of Sky Living: “I am thrilled to be able to announce Gates and The Spa on Sky Living, our first original scripted comedies which set the tone and ambition of what we’re looking for on Sky Living for future projects. Both shows will sit at the heart of our autumn schedule and further demonstrate Sky’s commitment to producing original British content across the whole channel portfolio. With fantastic talent both in front of and behind the camera, we hope our customers love these shows as much as we do.”

Lucy Lumsden, Head of Comedy Sky: "Following our recent comedy successes including Stella, Spy and Trollied, it's an extremely exciting time for Sky. This latest wave of announcements today across Sky Arts and Sky Living demonstrate that we are hungry to work with the best talent at home and abroad and expand our ambitions for comedy across our other channels."

GATES was Executive Produced by Lucy Lumsden and Saskia Schuster for Sky and Laurence Bowen (BAFTA® winner My Life As A Popat) from Feelgood Fiction, and will be Produced by Izzy Mant (Peep Show, BAFTA® award winner Harry & Paul). Sam Cadman (co-creator and director Trigger Happy TV) and Gordon Anderson (The Catherine Tate Show, The Inbetweeners, Shameless) is the director.

THE SPA is Executive Produced by Lucy Lumsden and Saskia Schuster for Sky and Sophie Clarke-Jervoise (Mount Pleasant and Little Crackers) and Ben Cavey (Benidorm, Grandma’s House) from Tiger Aspect, and will be produced by Lucy Armitage and is directed by Sandy Johnson (Benidorm).

Both series will air on Sky Living HD this autumn.  

These latest commissions are part of Sky's commitment to increase its investment in original British content by 50% over the next three years. By 2014, Sky expects to invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels.  This commitment follows the success of home-grown comedies such as TROLLIED, SPY and STELLA, entertainment hits THE LOVE MACHINE, GOT TO DANCE and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, dramas such as STRIKE BACK and MAD DOGS, and factual shows including STEPS: ON THE ROAD AGAIN and AN IDIOT ABROAD and the BAFTA-winning documentary FLYING MONSTERS 3D.

Notes to editor

For press enquiries regarding GATES, please contact:

Rowan Adams

Senior Publicist – Sky 1 HD & Sky Living HD

Tel: 020 7032 3078           

Mob: 07850 776 348

Email: rowan.adams@bskyb.com

For press enquiries regarding THE SPA, please contact Elena Kemp Publicist – Sky 1 HD & Sky Living HD

Tel: 0207 032 1495

Email: elena.kemp@bskyb.com

www.skypressoffice.co.uk

Photography available from www.image.net or  StillsDepartment@bskyb.com

Notes to Editors:

About Sky

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