W1A
COMEDY BBC2 HD, 10pm (NI, Friday) Hugh Bonneville returns as BBC’S Head of Values Ian ‘It’s all good’ Fletcher in the bitingly funny satire about the internal politics of the BBC. Jessica Hynes co-stars.
there’s more trouble for the bbc’s IAN FLETCHER as W1a returns ‘Ian Fletcher
is actually the sane one at the centre
of lunacy’ hugh bonneville
THE BBC IS FACING A
CRISIS. No, it’s not the gender pay gap or the licence fee – there’s something else getting Head of Values Ian
Fletcher hot and bothered in the new series of W1A.
This time, it’s the thorny issue of former (fictional) Premier League footballer Ryan Chelford (Ben Batt).
‘He’s like the Eddie Izzard of football in that he likes to cross-dress and is also very keen to be a pundit on
Match of the Day,’ explains star Hugh Bonneville, who plays the beleaguered Ian.
AWKWARD...
‘When the BBC says no, he assumes it’s because they feel awkward about the cross-dressing, but actually he’s just an incredibly boring, rubbish pundit. Ian spends the entire episode bending over backwards trying to justify the decision.’
It’s just one in a long line of tricky issues facing Ian in this series. Unluckily for him, he’s surrounded by his usual workshy colleagues doing their best not to help him, including airhead PR consultant Siobhan Sharpe, played by Jessica Hynes.
The comedy is a favourite among celebrities and has once again attracted a whole host of guest stars, including Professor Brian Cox, Sophie Raworth and Jeremy Paxman.
‘Claudia Winkleman has a part too,’ reveals Bonneville. ‘She was a delight because in between takes she kept saying, “I can’t believe
I’m in my favourite show!”’
Bonneville has been playing
Ian Fletcher since the character was running the London Olympics in comedy Twenty Twelve. Did he spot it would be a long-running role?
‘No, absolutely not,’ he admits. ‘I had no idea Ian was going to do such a fantastic job of saving the Olympics in the face of disaster and coming on to re-evaluate the BBC. It’s been quite an exciting ride for him.’
OFFICE POLITICS
On the face of it, a sitcom about the world of BBC internal politics might seem too niche to find a fanbase. But Bonneville believes it’s Ian who keeps viewers coming back for more.
‘He’s the sane one at the centre of lunacy,’ he laughs. ‘Ian is trying to be sensible, but has to cope with a lot of nutters around him. I bet he’s recognisable to people all over the world.’