Sky Arts expands on its comedy output
Rebecca Front, Catherine Tate, Sharon Horgan and Katy Brand star in Psychobitches, part of Playhouse Presents; Nixon’s the One to go to series
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Sky Arts has upped its comedy output, with the announcement of two new commissions – Psychobitches, an all-star, all female production that sees some of history’s most famous women psychoanalysed, and an order for a five part series of Nixon’s The One¸ which will see the extraordinary conversations of Richard Nixon during his presidency brought to life by Harry Shearer.
Psychobitches is the final addition to Sky Arts’ hugely successful Playhouse Presents series, featuring an all-star cast of acclaimed and celebrated comedic talent. The 30 minute comedy, produced for the channel by Tiger Aspect, puts history’s most famous women into the psychiatrist’s chair and shines a spotlight on their psychoses and obsessions. From Beatrix Potter who believes the animals really are talking to her, to Judy Garland, copying with her bi-polar mood swings and singing compulsion to Eva Braun, who needs help for her seriously questionable taste in men.
Starring Rebecca Front as the therapist, the hilarious comedy features
Catherine Tate as Eva Braun and Edith Piaf, Sharon Horgan as Jane Austen and Frieda Kahlo, Katy Brand as Joan of Arc and George Eliot, Sheila Reid as Mother Theresa, Sam Spiro as Mary Whitehouse and Judy Garland, Selina Griffiths as Beatrix Potter and Andy Nyman as Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
“Psychobitches has to be one of the most exciting ensembles of female comedic talent and Andy Nyman. I'm so excited that Jeremy Dyson has decided to get to direct a TV comedy for the first time,” comments Ben Cavey, Executive Producer, Tiger Aspect. “The team of writers - Jeremy Dyson, Laurence Rickard, Simon Carlyle and Morwenna Banks, Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie- have created a brilliantly unique and original way of interpreting the sketch genre. And with the brilliant Pippa Brown at the helm as producer, this is a truly exciting collection of talent that Tiger Aspect are extremely pleased to have brought together.”
Nixon’s the One debuted on 26 April as part of Playhouse Presents. The comedy-drama is the true story of what went on during Nixon’s Presidency, which was fraught with secretive dealings and characterised by an obsession with subterfuge and recordings. A verbatim account of Nixon’s time in office which has been transcribed from the actual tapes, the comedy is based on more than 198 hours of recordings made between February 1971 and lasting until 1973 that were released by the Nixon Presidential Library in 2008.
Devised by and starring Harry Shearer as President Nixon, Nixon’s The One will be made into a 5 part series for the channel to be broadcast next year.
Saskia Schuster is the exec producer for Sky on both Psychobitches and Nixon’s The One.
The full cast, including Henry Goodman as Kissinger, will return for the series run, which will be filmed in September. The series will broadcast in 2013.
"I'm thrilled that Sky Arts have seen the obvious tragi-comic gold in the verbal meanderings of Richard Millhouse Nixon,” said Jimmy Mulville, Executive Producer at Hat Trick. “Every word in the show is taken verbatim from his tapes. It will make you laugh out loud as your blood runs cold. Did this man once run the world? Really? Watch and be amazed. You couldn't write it...."
“We have been delighted by the response to our Playhouse Presents strand so far, and are thrilled to be able to bring our customers two such wonderful comedies” comments James Hunt, Director of Sky Arts. “Both Nixon’s the Oneand Psychobitches have the most exceptional cast and talent involved and are two hugely exciting and ambitious commissions for the channel.”
“The two shows are perfectly positioned for Sky Arts and give us a uniquely comic look at specific moments from history,” comments Lucy Lumsden, Head of Comedy, Sky. “Nixon's The One reveals an intriguing part of American history that is as entertaining as it is shocking and thoroughly deserves a series, and what better way to round off this year’s Playhouse series in the company of some of our finest funny women in Psychobitches.“
The announcements reflect Sky’s promise to deliver high-quality, exclusive content to customers, supported by a commitment to increase investment in home-grown programming to £600 million by 2014, an increase of more than 50% over three years. Forthcoming original British content includes David Attenborough’s 3D documentary Kingdom of Plants, and new drama and comedy such as Sinbad, Starlings, Hit and Miss and Hunderby.
Still to come in Playhouse Presents…
· 10th May - CITY HALL Riding a wave of popular opinion after footage of her defiant stance against London rioters becomes an internet hit, an ordinary woman finds herself as the capital’s first female Mayor. With Olivia Williams, Rhashan Stone, Lucy Punch and Martin Shaw.
· 17th May - CARE Stars Gina McKee as Natalie, a nurse whose relationship with an elderly patient and other residents on the notorious Byker Estate forces her to confront her own fears and isolation.
· 24th May - THE SNIPIST Drama by Matthew Holness and starring Douglas Henshall and the voice of John Hurt. Set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, a lone sniper (Henshall) must fend off plague carriers and rescue stranded communities in order to survive. But is this landscape of a destroyed civilisation all that it seems?
· 31st May - WALKING THE DOGS An intruder breaks into the Queen’s bedroom at dawn. They discuss love, family and personal freedom before the police arrive to take him away. With Emma Thompson, Eddie Marsan and Russell Tovey.
· 7th June - THE MAN Hidden in an exclusive hotel, a cabal of powerful individuals debates international politics, economics and war. A chilling look at how an unelected few control the fate of the masses. Written by Sandi Toksvig. With Stephen Fry, Hayley Atwell, Zoe Wanamaker and Stellan Skarsgård.
· 14th June - THE OTHER WOMAN Life imitates art as a successful TV writer and his actress wife’s failing marriage is mirrored in the show he writes and she stars in. But can they work out their problems on screen or is their relationship doomed to fail? With Geraldine James, Richard E Grant, Trevor Eve and Tom Ellis.
· 21st June - PSYCHOBITCHES Psychobitches takes famous females from history and puts them in the psychiatrist’s chair. Psychobitches is about celebrating outstanding women from history and all their gloriously bonkers issues.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Katherine Solomon PR Manager, Sky Press Office
T: 0207 032 0599
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NOTES TO EDITOR
**Interviews are available with the cast and writers**
Images available from Stillsdepartment@bskyb.com
About Sky Arts
Sky Arts offers an eclectic mix of the best music, arts, biographies, chat shows, film, drama and comedy. 2012 will see Sky Arts turn the spotlight on the best amateur dramatics companies in the UK in BRITAIN’S BEST AM-DRAM, exclusive productions from The Globe Theatre and Simon Callow’s one man play as part of a SHAKESPEARE SEASON and Ronnie Wood’s new show for Sky Arts. Popular series such as THE ONION NEWS NETWORK and ROMANZO CRIMINALE will sit alongside the premieres of Israeli dramas BE TIPUL and PRISONERS OF WAR. Sky Arts also encourages new formats and methods for accessing opera; beaming the world’s first live opera in 3D to cinemas across the UK and Ireland from ENO.
Sky Arts seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life. The flagship show, The Book Show, now goes to four literary festivals including Hay and Cheltenham. The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK, following long term partnerships with English National Opera, English National Ballet and Artichoke. The Series will seek to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works; Sky Arts Ignition Series: Futures Fund will support five young artists with a bursary of £30,000 each, enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent.
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