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Return To Wunderland

2 Aug

© Jimmy Crippen

Alice’s Wunderland has been confirmed for a full series.

The fantastical sketch show from the mind of Alice Lowe, aired a pilot episode back in April – featuring the likes of Claire Thomson, Richard Glover and Rachel Stubbings in support roles alongside Simon Greenall and Marcia Warren.  Sketches were also written featuring Antony Elvin but had to be cut for time reasons.

Following a thunderous reception from peelers, desperate to hear more, we at TVO had very high hopes the show would receive a full commission, so naturally, we’re almost as delighted at this news as Alice is!

Talking to us back in April, Alice already had plans for a series commission, telling us she hoped there would be: “lots of memorable characters, and lots of subversive, weird stuff that you might not get to see on television at the moment.  It’s a surreal fantasy that’s a little bit spooky and frightening. Wunderland should be a bit of escapism to spice up your night!”

To revisit our full interview with Alice on all things Wunderland, click here, and you can also see the first part of our video interview with Hot Brew, who may feature in the series, right here too. We’ll be bringing you more news on the show and its expected air-date as soon as we can.

Forgotten Favourites: Hyperdrive

19 Jun

© BBC

Every once in a while, TVO likes to take the opportunity to look back on some of the lesser known areas of Booshdom.

Take sci-fi sitcom Hyperdrive for example – which ran for two seasons in 2006 and 2007, yet never quite shook off the comparisons to sci-com behemoth Red Dwarf.

With own very own Stephen Evans a series regular, Waen Shepherd making frequent appearances, and guest slots from James Bachman and Clare Thomson, the show is ripe for revisiting – and TVO peeler Adam Cooper has done just that, sending us this passionate plea for a show that arguably deserved more.  Read on…

As a genre, science-fiction is a relatively unexplored territory in the British comedy world – barring of course Red Dwarf and gag-filled episodes of Doctor Who.  Perhaps this is because it is notoriously hard to combine serious science with comedy.  But for me at least, Hyperdrive found a way to do that.   Written by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley – who had previously penned episodes of such classics as Black Books, The Armstrong & Miller Show, Little Britain and Spitting Image - it was first broadcast in 2006 and commissioned by the BBC under the working title Full Power.

The show chronicles the adventures of the HMS Camden Lock in the year 2151.  Britain has managed to get itself into space, ladies and gentlemen, and its aim is to bring Blighty to the rest of the Universe.  Part of this plan includes getting intergalactic businesses to relocate to Peterborough, explaining to them how loyalty cards work and building Barrat Homes palaces for alien royalty. (more…)

Listen To Wunderland!

21 Apr

© Jimmy Crippen

The moment our international peelers have been waiting for is here – you can now listen to Alice’s Wunderland on BBC iPlayer!

The pilot, written by and starring Alice Lowe alongside a host of TVO regulars, aired on Radio 4 on Thursday night at 11pm – and is absolutely hilarious.  We won’t spoiler you much, but in a world where you can buy celebrities, people turn into insects, meter-men meet an untimely end, foxes carry handbags and the insanity of Jason is allowed to roam free, you’re in for a real treat.

The show will now be available on iPlayer for the next seven days and as its radio, it should be available worldwide, so sit back, froth up, and dilate your earlobes with Wunderland right here!

If you missed it, you can catch TVO’s interview with Alice about all things Wunderland right here.

Alice’s Wunderland: Through The Onion Glass

18 Apr

© Jimmy Crippen

This week sees the premiere of the brand new radio pilot from the brain of TVO’s fairy godmother, Alice Lowe.

Bringing together a whole host of familiar names in a late night audio treat, the pilot will be broadcast this Thursday, April 21st on BBC Radio 4.

In the run-up to the show, TVO were lucky enough to talk to Alice about the fantastical adventure she has in store for listeners…

Hi Alice! Welcome back to TVO.  First off then, what can you tell us about Wunderland?

I think it’ll be up your street! It’s quite fantastical, but with a gritty side to it. There’s a magical realism quality to it too. There’s a line in the script that says it’s the Poundland of magical realms. Wunderland is very weird but set in our world, with familiar references – imagining if magic did exist how jaded would it be by now?

It’s a sketch show, and it’s going to be ‘a little bit wacky’, she says in inverted commas! I wanted to do something a bit more imaginative, and go against the stereotype of what people expect from Radio 4. I wanted to do something that was about sound, and be experimental.

Wunderland itself is a place. It’s a fictional town where anything can happen. It’s a very British town… a bit dirty round the gills, with an air of dilapidation and pretension.

I wanted to do something that was quite magical, and transported you somewhere new. I’ve been thinking about hypnotism tapes, and how sound can transport you into a different place if you listen to it in a certain way. I kind of want people to listen to Wunderland in a darkened room! Get some sensory deprivation going…

Are we in for a real audio experience then?

There are a couple of songs in there, and some weird soundscape ideas – which I’d want more of if it went to series… fingers crossed!

I wanted music to be a big part of it, so I got Jane Watkins involved. She’s composed music for a lot of the short films I’ve done, so she came on board as my consultant and composer for this. What’s really strange is that you think being radio that music would be really important, but its quite common not to have the budget for new music.  I think that was one of my more diva-ish demands to Radio 4! (more…)

The Many Faces Of Wunderland

17 Apr
© BBC

Alice’s Wunderland is set to air this coming week, and here at TVO we wanted to give you a little teaser about what to expect.

The sketch show pilot is the brainchild of its star Alice Lowe, and there are a number of familiar faces from the wider world of Booshdom involved.

These include the ever reliable Antony Elvin - one half of Hot Brew, former Circulus percussionist, talented singer songwriter in his own right and one time guest star in The Mighty Boosh ["It's a glowstick, you berk!"]  The folktastic pairing of Hot Brew - set to grace the stage at Popcorn Comedy in Birmingham this week – will be featuring in the show.

Also along for the ride is Clare Thomson, whom you may recognise from Alice’s last major sketch-show project, Beehive, as well as being one of Herman’s 1000 Wives in Lifespam and featuring in last year’s cult comedy short Dead Happy.

© Bruno Vincent

Two Jackal Films stars – Richard Glover [Pebbles] and Rachel Stubbings [Love Song] are also on board.  Glover’s varied cv has also included a guest appearing in The Mighty Boosh [in The Chokes episode] and appearing in Lifespam, whilst stand-up comic and actress Rachel Stubbings presented the Jackal Films night at the FD4W Film Festival last Autumn.

And that’s not all… as there are also performances from Olivier Award winning actress Marcia Warren, who appeared in Jam & Jerusalem with TVO’s very own Simon Farnaby, and the legendary Simon Greenall who has several Booshy links but is perhaps best known as both hapless Geordie Michael in I’m Alan Partridge and as being the voice of Alexander Orlov in the Compare The Meerkat adverts!

It’s safe to say then that this is an extremely talented cast, under the more than capable hands of one of the most gifted comic minds on the planet.  Promising a trip round Wunderland, “the Poundland of magical realms” – the pilot will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11pm on Thursday 21st April.  It will be available on iPlayer for one week afterwards, and TVO hopes you’ll all tune in for what promises to be something pretty damn special indeed.

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