The BBC has announced a new batch of romantic iPlayer shorts featuring talent including Suranne Jones (Dr Foster), Stephen Mangan (Episodes), Adil Ray (Citizen Khan) and Harry Hill (Harry Hill’s TV Burp).
The new shorts follow the success of BBC iPlayer’s 2015 Funny Valentines, featuring comedians including Bill Bailey, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Limmy and Nick Helm, which saw 1.3m requests. Nick Helm’s short Elephant has also gone on to receive a Bafta nomination for Best Short Film.
Launching on the 7 February at 9pm, the shorts include:
Substitute
Written and directed by Rhys Thomas (Brian Pern), Substitute tells the story of Carly (Suranne Jones) and Zach (Stephen Mangan), whose life is turned upside down on Valentine’s Day by the arrival of a hapless online grocery delivery man.
Writer/producer Rhys Thomas says: “BBC iPlayer is a great platform for experimental comedy where the limitations of schedules and durations are out of the window. Suranne was so funny in Brian Pern, I couldn’t wait to make another comedy with her and here it is, at the earliest opportunity. And she’s joined by the brilliant Stephen Mangan, a dream team to work with.”
Harry Hill’s Look At Love
Harry Hill is a man. A man looking at women and love and romance. Also, what happens when Eros' arrow strikes, the dance of love and how marriage - and babies - ripen. With his international team of experts, Harry Hill prises open the safety deposit box of love and peers in.
Harry Hill says: “I’ve always enjoyed Valentines Day or ’V.D.' for short - I remember sending over 200 cards in February 1983 - well, before the days of Tinder one had to cast the net wide. So imagine my excitement when the BBC asked me to take a closer look at LOVE. We all seek it, yet it is entirely odourless - except in rare cases - just what is it? I think I’ve nailed it in this 10-minute documentary.”
Darling Rafi
Star of Citizen Khan Adil Ray introduces his new character Rafi, a 30-something year-old reluctant carer who endures the loud mouthed curmudgeon Bert (Ted Robbins, Coronation Street) and the overbearing interference of his well-meaning mother Mary (Harvey Virdi, Citizen Khan). It is Valentine's Day and Rafi is forced to role-play the perfect date scenario with this unlikely pair - and inevitably it doesn't go to plan.
Adil Ray says: "I'm really excited about stepping into Rafi's trainers and having some fun. He's a dreamer and a big kid and I hope people love him. BBC iPlayer feels like a great space to give everyone a little taste. I'm even more delighted he doesn't have a beard so I'm spending less time in the make-up chair!"
Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning, says: “This is an eclectic trio of shorts from some of the biggest names in comedy engaging in pioneering and truly experimental work. BBC iPlayer has fast become the crucial creative playground and this second year of Funny Valentines is a testament to the ambition in finding new forms of content with big names for the audience.”
