Sky is to release a range of seven new comedy shorts, with a cast including Alex Brooker, Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy), Jonny Pelham, Kris Marshall, Samson Kayo, Susan Wokoma, and Sindhu Vee.

This list of established and emerging comedy performers will be given the opportunity to show comedy fans around the country something fresh and different – from a train passenger dealing with an overzealous guard to one man facing a life changing operation – and so much more.

All seven shorts will be available on demand on Sky from 25 September, followed by transmission on Sky Arts beginning 10 October.

Details below:

Alex Brooker’s Comedy Short

Alex Brooker plays a man who’s due to have a pioneering double hand transplant operation to give him five fingered ‘normal’ hands. Building Dutch courage in the pub he meets a barmaid and a barfly, with whom he contemplates what he stands to gain or lose from the operation. It all culminates in an encounter with his worried girlfriend who knows nothing about his operation.

• Written by: Alex Brooker and Aiden Spackman                                       
• Produced by: Anthony Caveney (Open Mike Productions)                        
• Directed by: Dan Zeff                             
• Cast: Alex Brooker, Paul Kaye, Kathryn Drysdale, Esther Smith   

Lost Voice Guy’s Comedy Short

Mark hates getting the train to work, but not for the same reasons most people do. Mark has Cerebral Palsy, and can’t talk, so he uses an iPad to chat with his fellow commuters, this means that every train journey is a trip into the unknown. This often results in so many stupid questions and lots of casual ignorant rudeness he often wants to hit someone over the head with his iPad. 

From his mischievous platform encounter with a book reading commuter, to his on board sparring with a passenger and the train inspector, it is a knockabout journey from hell for our intrepid traveller.

• Written by: Lee Ridley (Lost Voice Guy)          
• Produced by: Anthony Caveney (Open Mike Productions)       
• Directed by: Dan Zeff                                        
• Cast: Lee Ridley (Lost Voice Guy), Craig Parkinson, Nina Wadia, Mark Davison

Jonny Pelham’s Comedy Short

Late Bloomer is the story of Jonny, a man born with more nipples than is necessary, webbed toes, a cleft palate, a cleft lip and hole in the roof of his mouth. At 28 he’s still a virgin, but this needs to change. Friends Harriet and Bobby are on hand with advice, all he has to do is ignore them and he just might succeed.  

• Written by: Jonny Pelham   
• Produced by: Lucy Lumsden (Yellow Door Productions)
• Directed by: Simon Neal                                    
• Cast: Jonny Pelham, Miles Jupp, Beattie Edmondson, Harriet Kemsley, Bobby Mair, Ruth Hunter, Jimmy Akingbola

Kris Marshall’s Comedy Short

Kris Marshall stars as Max Bartlett, the pampered lead actor in popular TV detective drama, Middle England Murders. When Max is given the wrong pudding at lunch time, he knows someone must have taken his beloved chocolate fondant. Everyone on set becomes a suspect and Max must turn detective for real to find out whodunnit?

• Written by: Joseph May and Sam Callis                                            
• Produced by: Seb Barwell (Roughcut TV)                                          
• Directed by: Tom Marshall                               
• Cast: Kris Marshall, Rosie Sheehy, Zahra Ahmadi, Phillipa Dunne, Steven O'Donnell           Martin Turner, Joseph May

Samson Kayo

Samson Kayo stars as Maleek, a maverick London paramedic with a god complex and an unpopular vlog. When his regular partner goes off his sick, he's forced to work with happy-go-lucky northerner Wendy (Jane Horrocks). On their first shift together, Maleek tries to school Wendy in his unorthodox methods.

• Written by: Samson Kayo and Nathan Bryon                         
• Produced by: Seb Barwell (Roughcut TV)                                               
• Directed by: Tom Marshall              
• Cast: Samson Kayo, Jane Horrocks, Jonny Freeman

Susan Wokoma

11-year-old Joanna tries to understand grief for the first time when she witnesses her mother’s manic reaction to the death of Princess Diana, whilst trying to use the incident to get out of Sunday School.

• Written by: Susan Wokoma 
• Produced by: Bertie Peek (Roughcut TV)                                               
• Directed by: Jennifer Sheridan                                  
• Cast: Susan Wokoma, Whitney O’ Nicholas, Yvette Boakye, Layo Christina Akinkude, Daisy May Cooper

Sindhu Vee

Gita’s sister Preeti and brother in Law, Ronnie, are visiting from India. Preeti has become determined to have an affair whilst in the UK, signing up to a dating app, whilst Ronnie has become a newly devout (and celibate) Hindu. Gita attempts to cover for Preeti whilst she prepares to meet a date.

• Written by: Sindhu Vee         
• Produced by: Bertie Peek (Roughcut TV)                                                                    
• Directed by: Jennifer Sheridan                                 
• Cast: Shelley Conn, Adam Leese, Sindhu Vee, Jeff Mirza