Channel 4 has ordered a one-off pilot from Rumpus Media fronted by comedian and proud fan of regional Britain, Tom Allen. Tom Allen Goes To Town (working title) will see Allen celebrating different towns in the UK as he hosts an as-live comedy entertainment show from an iconic local venue. In front of an audience made up of local characters he’s met over the week, "it’s set to be a heart-warming and funny love letter to regional Britain, celebrating real people in beautiful, unsung places."

This will not be the first show in which a comic travels around the UK meeting local people. In the Radio 4 series Mark Steel's In Town Mark Steel visited towns across the UK and created a stand-up show for a local audience based on what he found out about the area.

Tom Allen started as a stand up at the age of 22 and went on to win both So You Think You’re Funny in Edinburgh and the BBC New Comedy Awards in the same year. Since then he has honed his unique style of sharp, acerbic wit and camp, riotous storytelling by performing to audiences during sell out tours across the UK and around the world. Tom’s television credits include: Bake Off: Extra Slice, Bake Off: The Professionals, Mock The Week and Live At The Apollo.

Allen is looking set to be the next big TV star to graduate from the stand up circuit. It has also just been announced that he will be the new host of BBC Two’s The Apprentice: You’re Fired.

Each week, Tom will be joined on the show by a panel of business gurus, celebrity fans and quick-witted comedians, as he attempts to find out exactly where it all went wrong for each of the unsuccessful candidates, while adding his own, unique take on events. Self-confessed Apprentice super-fan Tom will offer viewers a witty and exciting take on each week’s biggest wins and most disastrous decisions, all in front of a live studio audience. As with previous series You’re Fired will air immediately after The Apprentice on BBC Two.