The BBC has confirmed that the upcoming comedy The Reluctant Vampire, based on the books by comedy legend Eric Morecambe and written by Rob and Neil Gibbons (Alan Partridge), will come to screens on Sunday 4th October, with all six episodes of the series available on BBC iPlayer from 6:00am, and episode one airing on BBC One at 6:40pm that evening. 

Produced by Boffola Pictures in co-production with ZDFneo and filmed in Gloucestershire, the series follows Val (Lenny Rush – Am I Being Unreasonable?), a young vampire desperate to live up to his father Victor’s (Tom Davis – King Gary) high expectations - until he discovers he’s not actually a vampire.

The show will see Val explore his newly discovered human side, whilst dealing with a casket-load of expectations from his tradition obsessed vampire dad, constant attempts to foil him from his suspicious brother, Vernon, (Gabriel Nagy - Extra Geography) and not always helpful advice from doting mum Valeeta, (Sian Clifford - Fleabag), who knows his true identity. The series trailer showcases the comedic humour and light-hearted tone of the show, whilst introducing audiences to most of the acclaimed ensemble cast, including Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Joe Wilkinson (After Life), Bill Bailey (Black Books), Ray Fearon (Not Going Out) and Charlie Cooper (This Country). The full trailer can be viewed here.

The Reluctant Vampire (6x30’) was commissioned for BBC iPlayer and BBC One by Jon Petrie*, Director of Comedy Commissioning. Written by Rob Gibbons and Neil Gibbons, the executive producer is Shane Allen. The series producer is Ali Marlow and the director is Emily McDonald. Gary Morecambe is the script consultant. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Ben Caudell and Navi Lamba, and Yi Qiao for ZDFneo. 

Watch the trailer below

picture credit: BBC/Boffola Pictures/Jonathan Birch