Phill Jupitus, Frank Skinner & Sue Perkins amongst Jack Dee’s guests on Sky Atlantic’s DON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Sky Atlantic HD today announce comedians PHILL JUPITUS, FRANK SKINNER, SUE PERKINS, JOSH WIDDECOMBE, MILTON JONES and DAVE GORMAN will feature amongst JACK DEE’s guest panelists on brand new entertainment showDON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW, which premieres exclusively to Sky customers as part of the channel’s Comedy Monday strand.

Launched in June this year, Sky Atlantic’s Comedy Monday strand has quickly established the channel as the home of the smartest, most engaging comedy from the finest talent in the industry, including Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Kathy Burke, Russell Brand, Adam Buxton and Julia Davis, with Jack Dee set to join this world-class line-up from October.

A bold new format created by two former producers of Have I Got News For You, DON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW sees four members of the public volunteer to sit in the Front Row, with their lives providing the raw material for a panel of comics. The twist is while DEE knows everything about the Front Rowers the panel knows nothing, creating the perfect opportunity to probe into their life stories in search of laughs.

The premise of the show is simple – the more comedy material the Front Rowers provide the stand-ups, the longer they’ll last. As the panellists get to know more about the contestants, they will then have to decide who to eliminate at the end of each round. The last Front Rower standing will be crowned with the ultimate prize of a much coveted DON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW ‘Golden Chair Award’.

Speaking about his new series, DEE said: “It is refreshing to work on a show that encourages such spontaneity and interaction between the comedians and the studio audience. The panellists are great but as the Front Rowers reveal more of their weird and wonderful stories, I think the real stars of the show will be the public.”  

DON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW is 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.  The commission of DON’T SIT IN THE FRONT ROW together with HUNDERBY (Julia Davis); and WALKING AND TALKING (Kathy Burke) and the acquisition of BRAND X and VEEP (Armando Iannucci) continues to build Sky Atlantic’s comedy momentum in 2012.

For further information please contact

Megan MacLeod - Publicist, Sky Movies HD, Sky Atlantic HD
T:
E: megan.macleod@bskyb.com

Charlotte Jordan - PR Assistant, Sky
T:
E: charlotte.jordan@bskyb.com

Notes to editor


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