Shiny Button Productions, part of the Endemol Shine Group, are delighted to announce that sitcom pilot ‘king Gary has been commissioned as part of BBC One’s Comedy Playhouse series, and will air on BBC One later this year.

‘king Gary is a larger than life working-class sitcom with a big heart, from the creative team behind the BAFTA award-winning Murder in Successville. The pilot is written by Tom Davis and James De Frond, and will star Davis (Gary) as the lead and be directed by De Frond. Joining the cast is Simon Day (Big Gary), Camille Coduri (Denise), Laura Checkley (Terri) and Romesh Ranganathan (Stuart).

The story follows childhood sweethearts Gary and Terri King, a loved up husband and wife, and their aspirations to achieve social acceptance and moderate material success in competitive suburbia. This, accompanied by drama queen Gary’s constant need to impress his prehistoric old school Dad, Big Gary, and attempt to fill his big boots, equals a massive ‘try hard’ douchebag.

‘king Gary is a study of how the small things in life can be blown up to absurd proportions as the pressures of the modern world, and how we think we must exist within it, spiral out of control. A big comedy about life’s small and often petty dramas.

Tom Davis said: “‘king Gary is going to be my biggest challenge yet, a proper method piece, playing a big working class wally who takes his life way too seriously, whilst everyone else thinks he is a complete joke.”

BBC Comedy Controller Shane Allen said: “With ‘king Gary we will get a big daft southern comedy voice in Tom Davis at the centre of a very exciting cast. The Comedy Playhouse strand has been really prolific in launching series with the very best of emerging UK comedy talent.”

‘king Gary is a Shiny Button Productions show for BBC One, written by Tom Davis and James De Frond, and produced by Rupert Majendie. Executive producers are Andy Brereton, Tom Davis and James De Frond. ‘king Gary is commissioned by Shane Allen, Controller Comedy, BBC.