BBC Radio 2 has announced the commission of a new sitcom, Barbara Nice, which is to be recorded in Birmingham and Salford this summer.

Due to be recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series is about a couple with very different ideas on how to spend the golden age of retirement. The pilot programme which was originally broadcast in 2015, will kick off the series, followed by four new episodes.

The sitcom is built around the comedy character Barbara Nice by the very seasoned performer Janice Connolly (That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights).

Set in Stockport, the mum-of-five from Kings Heath is worried she and her husband, Ken, played by John Henshaw, (Cilla, Cradle to Grave), are at risk of adding to the numbers of silver splitters. With Ken recently retired, Barbara is starting to realise they have nothing in common. His idea of retirement involves a marathon session of the daytime television quiz show Pointless, which doesn't fit with Barbara's idea of a well spent golden age.

The sitcom was commissioned by Robert Gallacher, Scheduling and Commissioning Editor at BBC Radio 2, who said: “The pilot of Barbara Nice was very much enjoyed by the Radio 2 audience, so I’m delighted that it will return later this year for a full series’.

Janice Connolly says: “The sitcom is about being a certain age, reaching retirement and being in a long-term marriage. Barbara is a big character who is always trying to invent things for her and her husband to do but invariably it always backfires.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be recording two of the episodes in Birmingham. It's a great city and I have been proud to be part of the artistic community of Birmingham for many years. The wonderful work that is being produced at Birmingham Rep and the world class facilities at The Hippodrome alongside  independent venues like The Hare And Hounds mean that the city is bursting with culture."