Nick Frost in Hyperdrive, New BBC Comedy Options

[Raven]

The MediaGuardian have reported that Spaced and Shaun of the Dead favourite Nick Frost has landed the lead role in the forthcoming BBC2 comedy Hyperdrive.

The full article is as follows:

Nick Frost, best known for playing Simon Pegg's sidekick in Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, has landed his first lead role in a TV comedy, playing a spaceship commander in new BBC2 show Hyperdrive.

Frost's character in Hyperdrive, space commander Henderson, is in charge of a 22nd century British spaceship tasked with trying to encourage aliens to relocate their businesses to Peterborough and take holidays in the Lake District.

The comedy, set in 2151, has been described by executive producer Jon Plowman as a "hilarious version of Das Boot in space".

"Hyperdrive is partly about the crew of the HMS Camden Lock trying to persuade aliens to relocate to Britain while the Americans offer Florida, and partly about a group of people being stuck together in a confined space for a long time," he said.

During their space travels, commander Henderson and his crew have to deal with anti-gravity failures, annoying talking doors and wars with aliens.

Commander Henderson is an optimistic but deluded man, who always thinks his orders are open to interpretation.

Hyperdrive, which formerly had a working title Full Power, also stars Kevin Eldon - whose credits include Nighty Night and Big Train - as first officer York, a brilliant scientist and polymath.

Other cast members include Miranda Hart as diplomatic officer Teal, who is in love with Henderson; Stephen Evans as manic-depressive navigator Vine; and Dan Antopolski as insubordinate technical officer Jeffers.

The BBC2 comedy also features Petra Massey as pilot Sandstrom, an "enhanced human", and Paterson Joseph, as the ambitious space marshal Clarke.

Hyperdrive is being filmed in Manchester and is due to go out on BBC2 next year.

The comedy has been written by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley, who scripted the third series of Black Books. Alex Walsh-Taylor is producing, with John Henderson directing.

Thanks to Chapman Baxter for spotting this!

[frostitute]

How did I miss this post

Must have been groggy

Oh well

Someone told me he was in Manchester looking at handbags, his character must have one.

[superfurryandy]

"hilarious version of Das Boot in space"

Red Dwarf?

[Chapman Baxter]

Red Dwarf?

"The differences with Red Dwarf are in the writing, the acting style and the level of the performances," says Cecil. "It's got a different look, too; it's much more 2001."

"Also the situation is very different," says Riley. "With Red Dwarf they're answerable to no-one; they're free agents. In ours, they're very much not. They're the crew of a vessel that is part of the British Space Force and they have to follow orders. With ours, I wanted it to look like the new Battlestar Galactica, but we don't have that kind of money.

From an interview quoted here.

[Jessopjessopjess...]

Wow, if this works it could be really good. Science fiction and comedy are the hardest genres to do well, let alone combinaing the two....

[Raven]

Wow, if this works it could be really good. Science fiction and comedy are the hardest genres to do well, let alone combinaing the two....

Lucas managed it with his Comedy Vader!

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!

*shakes hands at sky*

[rabbit57i]

"....hilarious version of Das Boot in space".

I hate that quote. It just sounds like someone trying to hard.

[Sean of the Dead]

I pray this isn't gonna be another 'According To Bex'...

*shudders at the thought*

[Ronin]

Sounds interesting. Comedy Sci-fi is one of my favorite things. Sure, occasionally you get some really garbage from the combo, but some of my favorite things have fit into that genre.


/+11 comedy to Raven for the Vader "NOOOOOOO!!" reference. So bad.. hehe.

[Zoe]

"....hilarious version of Das Boot in space".

I hate that quote. It just sounds like someone trying to hard.

A little too close to "with hilarious consequences"?

[superfurryandy]

I am in agreement with both Rabbit & Zoe - still, if it means more Kevin Eldon on our screens, it must be a good thing?

[rabbit57i]

Of course with Eldon in it, it has hopes of being okay. They just should refrain from using the word "hilarious".

[Omniscia]

Could be worse. Could be "Home Boys in Space" (with James Doohan!).

[Ronin]

Could be worse. Could be "Home Boys in Space" (with James Doohan!).

I've spent nearly a decade forgetting that show existed.. and now you've brought it all back. The horror.

But you do make a excellent point.

[jem]

shit. i hope it eventually gets aired in north america...