ITV2 has commissioned Cockroaches, a 6 x 30 post-apocalyptic romantic-comedy written and created by Freddy Syborn (Bad Education) from multi-award winning producers Big Talk Productions (Rev, Him & Her).
Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Uncle, Hunderby) and Esther Smith (Cuckoo 2, Skins) play Tom and Suze, two nineteen-year-olds both dreaming of the future. When nuclear war strikes, they do the thing we’d all do if we knew we were about to die. They have sex. Unfortunately, they then survive. Awkward.
Ten years later, they emerge from the basement in Suzes’ house as two twenty-nine year olds wandering the wasteland where England used to be.
Cockroaches is a comedy about what happens after a nuclear holocaust. It’s about those things that can survive anything: laziness, boredom, ex-boyfriends who are still stupid. And love.
It’s also about those absurd ideas on which our society is built. Like, how do you decide who’s in charge? Do you re-establish the idea of money? What do you teach children? Is Cannibalism really such a bad idea if you’re really really hungry?
The series features a first class ensemble of iconic and next generation comedy actors including appearances from Nigel Planer (The Young Ones) Jaime Winstone (Made in Dagenham) Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badly, Jonathan Creek), Dan Renton-Skinner (House Of Fools) Sarah Daykin (Chickens) fast rising stand-up Tom Davis and a cameo role from Jack Whitehall (Bad Education, Fresh Meat) as Oscar, the unhinged and insufferable ex-boyfriend of Suze with more cast yet to be announced.
Cockroaches is directed by Ben Taylor (Cardinal Burns, Cuckoo). Co-producer is Josh Cole and it’s produced by Clelia Mountford (A Young Doctors Notebook)
The Executive Producer is Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen.
Cockroaches joins ITV2’s growing roster of comedies that include Plebs which recently won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Scripted Comedy, a British Comedy Award for Best New Comedy Programme and a BAFTA nomination for Doon Mackichan. The Job Lot starring Russell Tovey, Sarah Hadland and Sophie McShera also joins the channel for its second series and will transmit in the autumn.
Angela Jain, Director of Digital Channels and Acquisitions for ITV said “I never thought I’d be happy to say we have Cockroaches at ITV2. I am absolutely delighted to have this new series join the channel as we continue our push into scripted comedy.”
Elaine Bedell, Director of Entertainment and Comedy for ITV said, “Cockroaches is a sharp new scripted comedy with a talented young cast, which we’re very happy to have on ITV2.”
Cockroaches will be distributed internationally by ITV Global.