The Steve Speirs-penned comedy series follows the fortunes of the Tucker family, a close-knit extended family of ‘loveable rogues’ who earn their living in a number of ways - many of which are on ‘the wrong side of the law’.
The series features a stellar all-Welsh cast alongside Steve Speirs (Stella, Upstart Crow, Pirates Of The Caribbean) including much-respected actress Lynn Hunter (Baker Boys, Stella), Robert Pugh (Game Of Thrones), Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat) and Alexandria Riley (Channel 4’s The End Of The F***ing World and BAFTA Cymru winning drama series In My Skin).
Steve Speirs says “I am so thrilled that The Tuckers is coming back for two more series. It’s a testament to the ongoing support from BBC Wales and the amazing fans who took the show to their hearts so quickly and in big numbers.
“People can expect to get to know the family a lot better: Their lives, their loves, their fears. There’ll be a bit of heartache for them along the way no doubt, but mainly laughs. I think that’s what we need right now. Laughs. And Lots of them!”
Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales says, “Just like all fans of The Tuckers, we wanted to see more of them. It’s a warm, genuinely funny comedy that’s firmly rooted in Wales but has also been enjoyed extensively across the UK via iPlayer. Series 2 should have been filming this summer but quite rightly that couldn’t happen. Commissioning two further series at the same time demonstrates BBC Wales’ real commitment to backing brilliant projects developed by home-grown Welsh talent.”
Series two and three of The Tuckers will be produced in Wales by BBC Studios and filming will take place in summer 2021.
BBC Wales have also announced a full series commission of the sketch comedy show Age Of Outrage. Billed as ‘a comedy show for the internet age’, the series successfully follows a pilot show that transmitted in March 2020. The show shines a light on the frustrations of modern life and a sketch from the pilot entitled If High Street Shopping Was Like Online Shopping quickly went viral going on to become BBC Wales’ biggest ever social media post, with over 45 million views.
The new series will be the first BBC Wales production to use innovative software as a way of navigating Covid restrictions during filming.
Paul Forde, BBC Cymru Wales Commissioner for Comedy says, “Filming in a pandemic was never going to be ideal but some of the sketches will be done virtually. Virtual sets have been around for quite a while but can sometimes look a bit artificial. The game-changer is now the ability to make them look like the real thing using new software which is being increasingly used across the industry.
“We also see the sketch format as a great way of being able to develop new up-and-coming Welsh comedy writers and the series will feature material from newer writers alongside more established names.”
The series will be produced by the Welsh indie Small and Clever and transmit in spring 2021.
