Katherine Ryan, Seann Walsh and Fatiha El-Ghorri have been confirmed as the three returning comedian captains who will feature in each episode of Yes Yes Media’s Silence is Golden, hosted by Dermot O’Leary.

At the start of each episode, the network gives £250,000 to the studio audience and all they need to do to keep it…is remain silent. With every audience member mic’ed up, all hell breaks loose as a green room of 30 acts, led by Katherine Ryan, Seann Walsh and Fatiha El-Ghorri, wage war on the audience, with every sound forced out of them bringing the total prize money down. It’s entertainers vs audience - they’re not on the same side. If the entertainers get the prize pot to zero, they get to give money to charity. Created by Richard Bacon, Silence is Golden is the comedy show that you can’t laugh at. 

Katherine Ryan said, “I wonder whether the studio audience will laugh so the cash goes to charity or do the right thing and keep the money for themselves.”

Seann Walsh said, “I’ve been chosen for a show where the audience isn’t allowed to laugh, and apparently I should be flattered by that.”

Fatiha El-Ghorri said “I can’t wait to see the money going down Mwahahahahahahaha!”

Silence is Golden is commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor, comedy and entertainment, and Jason Dawson, commissioning executive.  The series is ordered by Cherie Hall, channel director and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Silence is Golden is produced by Yes Yes Media, with Tim Dean (fresh off Channel 4’s Late Night Lycett) to series produce, and executive produced by Richard Bacon and Yes Yes Media’s Head of Entertainment Mark Sidaway (former showrunner of The X-Factor). Silence is Golden is distributed by BBC Studios.

Silence is Golden will air on U&Dave next year.