Commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC Three, Juice is a comedy pilot written by and starring Mawaan Rizwan. It also stars Russell Tovey, alongside Mawaan’s brother Nabhaan Rizwan and mother Shahnaz Rizwan. It is produced by VAL TV.
Juice follows Jamma (Mawaan Rizwan) who desperately wants to be the centre of attention, but his family are constantly stealing his thunder. Mum, Farida (Shahnaz Rizwan) always makes everything about her, Dad, Saif (Jeff Mirza), ignores him and brother, Isaac (Nabhaan Rizwan), steals the limelight at work – the one place Jamma feels like he’s doing well. And when he finally does get the validation from boyfriend Guy (Russell Tovey), he can’t handle it. Jamma’s hyperactive imagination goes into overdrive and the world transforms around him.
The pilot features Mawaan’s unique blend of heartfelt, confessional storytelling and his messy yet hilarious relationships with his family.
Mawaan says: “I did a live show at the Edinburgh Fringe about how my mum always steals my thunder. Luckily, I’ve been commissioned to make my own TV pilot. Unluckily, my mum is in it and really steals my thunder.”
Phil Clarke, VAL TV Managing Director and Executive Producer, said: “Working with the hugely talented Mawaan has been a pleasure and a privilege. He has a unique comedy vision of the world, and the result is a show that‘s truly original - heart-warming, life affirming, surreal, surprising and very funny.”
Tanya Qureshi, Head of BBC Comedy, adds: “We’re incredibly excited to bring Mawaan’s creation to the screen. He has such a talent for storytelling and performance – which clearly runs in the genes! With a fantastic cast and creative team behind the scenes, Juice is truly something special.”
It was recently announced by the BBC Comedy Association that Mawaan has been appointed a Young People’s Comedy Laureate to champion comedy as an art form, and to engage and inspire new talent to start writing and performing. Mawaan holds this position for a year and will oversee a number of projects, including shaping and informing the outreach programme in schools, spearheading the under-18 category of the New Comedy Awards, and curating the inaugural BBC Comedy Festival. Mawaan is also the Head Judge for the New Comedy Awards.
Juice (1x35’) has been commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC Three, and is co-produced with HBO Max. It is produced by Hannah Moulder, directed by Rosco 5 duo Gideon Beresford and Behnam Taheri, and executive produced by Mawaan Rizwan, Phil Clarke for VAL TV and Tanya Qureshi for BBC Comedy.
Juice will air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer this autumn.
Picture: Liam Daniel
