Shaun of the Dead star filming ITV transgender sitcom after show writer found success online
IT’S two decades since he hit the big time, appearing in zombie comedy film Shaun Of The Dead.
Now, funnyman Nick Frost is back for more laughs, busy filming a new supermarket sitcom which is set to air on ITV next year.
He will star in Transaction alongside the show’s creator, comic and writer Jordan Gray, who found fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2016.
The series, first teased two years ago when work began on it, will see Nick as supermarket manager Simon who hires transgender egomaniac Liv — played by Jordan — after upsetting the LGBTQ+ community with clumsy marketing.
The problem is, Liv soon discovers she is completely unsackable — and sets about turning the store into her own personal playground, un-leashing chaos upon her co-workers.
The show, which is based on a series of shorts created by Jordan for Paramount+ TV channel Comedy Central four years ago, also stars Two Doors Down’s Doon Mackichan, Peacock’s Thomas Gray and The Witcher’s Francesca Mills.
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The shorts attracted an impressive 2.5million views, sparking interest from ITV to follow up with a full TV series.
Jordan said of the comedy: “My one true goal with this show is to create something as timeless as my implants.”
A show insider teased of the six-parter: “The shorts proved themselves to be a huge success, so there’s no surprise that this long-awaited project is finally due to hit screens.
“It’s been two years in the making, but finally Jordan and Nick are on set for filming.
“The series is going to be colourful, noisy and unapologetic — with Jordan’s razor-sharp writing style and timing paired with Nick’s legendary comedic presence making for comedy dynamite.”
It should be pretty wild in the aisles, we reckon.
Hit quiz returns
ROMAN KEMP and Sarah Greene will be back for more of their hit quiz series, The Finish Line.
The BBC has confirmed that 30 new episodes are now in the works, as the presenting duo prepare to return to filming in early 2025.
The third season will air later next year.
Sister act for Keeley
KEELEY HAWES will step back in time as a Regency lady in new BBC One period drama Miss Austen.
The Bodyguard actress plays the lead role of Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra in the four-parter, alongside Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie as her friend Isabella Fowle.
Adapted from Gill Hornby’s best-seller, the tale begins in 1830, several years after the death of Jane (Patsy Ferran).
It sees Cassandra fighting to save her reputation after the discovery of private letters.
Found at Isabella’s home, the correspondence threatens to spill the secrets of the family feuds and love affairs of Cassandra and Jane.
The drama, which will air next year, also stars The Witcher’s Mirren Mack, Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan, The Crown’s Kevin McNally and Bridgerton’s Calam Lynch.
Production wrapped earlier this year.
Back on flood alert
ITV thriller After The Flood is to return for a second series.
The first, about a mystery death following a flash deluge in fictional town Waterside, drew six million viewers earlier this year.
The follow-up will find newly promoted detective Jo Marshall (Sophie Rundle) investigating another fatality.
With tension high amid a threat of moor-land fires and more flooding, a body is found in odd circumstances.
But Jo’s race to find the killer means she must root out corruption in the town’s police – and her own family.
Sophie’s real-life fella Matt Stokoe is back as her screen hubby Pat, while Philip Glenister, Lorraine Ashbourne and Nicholas Gleaves are also back.
Filming starts next year, to air on ITV1, ITVX and BritBox.
Jackal breaks records
ASSASSIN drama The Day Of The Jackal is Sky TV’s highest-rating new series EVER.
Starring The Danish Girl actor Eddie Redmayne as the killer, and 007 siren Lashana Lynch as the M16 officer battling to bring him down, it drew three million viewers in the first week.
Con and have a go lads
CON O’NEILL is wasting no time banging the recruits into line in World War Two drama series SAS: Rogue Heroes, judging from a peek at the second series.
The star, who is best known for his theatre roles after he rose to fame in the musical Blood Brothers, was last year announced to have joined the cast as British Commander General Montgomery.
Now, a first look at Con in the series, coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer, sees him in uniform giving the troops a good talking-to on the frontline as they turn from the conflict in North Africa to mainland Europe.
Former show stars Connor Swindells, Dominic West and Jack O’Connell all return for the six new episodes.
The BBC is set to release a trailer this morning, revealing more details of the new season.
Cooper load of this carry on
DAISY MAY COOPER sparked a frenzy in a quiet Somerset village while filming for her series Am I Being Unreasonable? this week.
The actress and comedian was joined by one of the characters from her BAFTA winning comedy This Country in a playful nod to her previous work.
Daisy cast a lookalike to portray her character, Kerry, while brother Charlie Cooper reprised his role as her on-screen cousin Lee ‘Kurtan’ Mucklowe.
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They surprised locals, who gathered round to watch the scenes being filmed, by running into shops and pretending to steal items.
The second series of Am I Being Unreasonable will air on BBC One and iPlayer next year.
