The new Sky Comedy series is about a young woman from Blackpool finding her comic voice in the male-dominated world of the 1960s sitcom.
Announced during this year's Edinburgh Television Festival, written by multi-award-winning writer Morwenna Banks and directed by BAFTA nominee Oliver Parker, this new comedy-drama based on Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, Funny Girl, will star Gemma Arterton as Barbara Parker, the force of nature who takes London by storm.
Her journey from Blackpool beauty queen to comedy superstar and nation’s sweetheart is set during the cultural explosion of the 1960s; Clare-Hope Ashitey, Arsher Ali and Alexa Davies will also star with more cast to be confirmed.
It’s the height of the swinging 60s and Barbara Parker has just been crowned Miss Blackpool, but there’s got to be more to life than being a beauty queen in a seaside town, right? She wants to be… someone. The bright lights of London are calling, and our determined hero sets off to find out who that someone is.
The London she encounters is not as quite as swinging as the one she’d read about and seen on TV. However, after a series of setbacks Barbara finds herself in unfamiliar territory - an audition for a TV comedy show.
Barbara’s uncompromising northern wit proves to be the X factor that the show has been missing. She gets the part and becomes part of a ground-breaking new sitcom that will have an impact on British comedy for decades to come.
Being a woman in a largely male environment has its own challenges, but as Barbara ‘finds her funny’ she re-defines the prevailing attitude to funny women and in the process, reinvents herself.
Speaking about Funny Girl, Gemma Arterton said "It’s a heart-warming story of an ambitious woman with a dream of making people laugh – it’s going to be something special. It’s an honour to be working with such an incredible team and be reunited with my first ever director, Oliver Parker."
Jon Mountague, Director of Comedy for Sky Studios added "With Morwenna Banks’ brilliant script, this was the perfect opportunity to bring a contemporary take on this inspiring story. Funny, smart and revealing – exactly what a Sky Original comedy should be, and we can’t wait."
The series will be produced by Nick Hornby, Gemma Arterton, Morwenna Banks, Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan, Jessica Parker and Jessica Malik.
Funny Girl will air on Sky Comedy