My Hero creator Paul Mendelson busy with films, new series development

My Hero creator Paul Mendelson is keeping himself busy. He has several original movie projects in development in the UK and Los Angeles: A Meeting in Seville, The McKenzie Friend, Despicable/ Mom and Dad Must Die, (with Alan Moscowitz) GSOH' (with Keith Farnan) and Powercut (with Paul Alexander).

He is also developing comedy and drama series through his company, Full Moon Films, and writing original drama for BBC Radio 4. His credits for the station include four afternoon radio plays, three comedy series and he's adapted five Chief Inspector Dover novels by Joyce Porter.

Kenneth Cranham as
Chief Inspector Dover.
Photo © BBC

His  first 'original' Dover play starring Kenneth Cranham - Dover and the Smoking Gun - was broadcast last October.

Of interest to fans of his comedy work is the news that both May to December and So Haunt Me are in development as change format in the US, the latter with a major star.

He's also created The Glugs (www.theglugs.com) to promote a healthier lifestyle for kids. 

Fireworks at the Villa Lucia!

My Hero script writer Paul Mendelson's radio comedy Fireworks at the Villa Lucia!, starring Sammantha Bond, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year's Eve.

Described as an original Neapolitan radio comedy, the Radio Times selected Mendelson's story as a Pick of the Day for Christmas. "If you can only watch one TV show, listen to one radio programme or see one film on television each day this festive season, this is what you must tune in for."

When Pete (played by Philip Whitchurch, who played Tyler in My Hero), a jobbing TV scriptwriter who's jobbing less and less, goes on holiday to get away from the downward spiral of his career and breathe some fresh life into his marriage.

Finding himself booked into the same hotel in the Bay of Naples as a cult Hollywood director, who's on holiday to get away from movies and writers, Peter tries to pitch his cherished movie idea.

Knowing any director would run a mile from a struggling TV writer brandishing a dog-eared movie script, Pete hits on a ruse to "sell" his script – he'll intrigue the guy by pretending his fiction is the true story of how he and Julie (Bond) met.

Farcical misunderstandings ensue as Julie is forced to pass herself off as the script's main character – a fiery Venezuelan ex-soap star – with Pete masquerading as her psychoanalyst. And, as Julie gets into playing the role, she begins to re-write the script on the hoof giving the character a third split in her personality.

• Fireworks at the Villa Lucia! will be broadcast on Thursday 31st December on BBC Radio 4 at 2.15pm

My Hero director, producer John Stroud Dead at Just 54

We're very sorry to report that My Hero and producer and director John Stroud has died aged 54 of a brain tumour.

John, who was also co-founder of Big Bear Films with Marcus Mortimer and is probably best known for his work on My Hero, enjoyed a TV career that spanned 30 years, from joining Thames Television as a trainee to setting up the indie in 1996.

Both John and Marcus were keen to use their experience to hothouse new writers, as well as developing projects with more familiar talents and produced six seasons of My Hero, as well as the upcoming BBC circus-based comedy Big Top (due to screen later this year on BBC1) and The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook, a rare foray into factual fare. (John discovered The Hairy Bikers, brought them to Big Bear and co-produced and/or directed 21 episodes of The Hairy Bikers Cookbook and The Hairy Bikers Ride Again and a special for BBC 2).

A Cambridge Footlights contemporary of Griff Rhys Jones, Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham, Stroud’s first TV credits included Rainbow and The Sooty Show, where he notoriously secured an appearance by punk group UK Subs.

John, who is survived by a wife and two children, made his name with Channel 4 sketch show Who Dares Wins, he directed shows such as Spitting Image, Harry Enfield and Chums and the final episode of Minder.

While we were covering production of My Hero John was a wonderful supporter of this micro site, providing valuable background material and more to the making of the show. 

We're sure he will be much missed.

• You can read our 2005 interview with John here

Big Top Comes to BBC1

On its way to BBC 1 this autumn from Big Bear, makers of My Hero, is a new 'high concept' family comedy, Big Top.

It’s set in and around a travelling circus and isi about the performers and backstage staff that make up Circus Maestro. Each week a story is unfolded, erected, performed and taken down just like the big top itself. 

As you'd expect, the circus is fraught with problems, which the Ring Mistress (Lizzie, played by Amanda Holden) must overcome. What do you do when you’ve advertised a death-defying stunt which everyone has bought tickets to see, and the performer is just that little bit too injured? How do you manage a group of people who are so jealous of each other they are happy to sabotage their colleagues performances; or so dedicated as performers, that they are willing to sabotage their own survival? When the star acrobat is being chased by immigration, how do you hold on to him? Big Top's characters clash with a cacophony of egos and Lizzie must keep the whole thing going... somehow.

Big Top stars:

• Amanda Holden as Lizzie, The Ringmistress, keeping the show going against all odds;
• John Thomson and Sophie Thompson as Geoff and Helen, The Clowns, a husband and wife team. Geoff thinks he knows more about comedy than anyone, but hasn’t a funny bone in his body. Helen is his long suffering wife.
• Tony Robinson as Erasmus is the soundman and accountant. He is cynical, manipulative and callous and will do anything to make a quick buck. His attitude to the other performers borders on contempt.
• Ruth Madoc as Georgie and David the Dog. Georgie is the “Grande Dame” of Circus Maestro and now works with a dog, whom she often uses to get what she wants – “David’s not happy with the size of our caravan” - In truth she couldn’t care less about the dog.
• Bruce MacKinnon as Boyco, the East European Acrobat. Without Boyco, Circus Maestro would go down the pan. He is dazzlingly talented and incredibly naïve to the ways of the English World. As a result, everyone tries to take advantage of him.

No Heroics Previewed

Over on Comic Book Resources, Rich Johnston has published a preview, complete with several photographs, of ITV2's new superhero sitcom No Heroics, as part of his latest Lying in the Gutters comics news and gossip column. The show is being executive produced by one of the former My Hero team.

The show, set to debut later this year, is currently being previewed for the press, so expect more mainstream media to pick up on the new show, which is being produced by Tiger Aspect.

Created and produced by Drew Pearce, whose credits include ITV2's magazine reality show Deadline, No Heroics is ITV2's first original sitcom, and centres on the lives of four London-based off-duty superheroes and their struggles in love and with fame - or the lack of it. The show sees the off-duty superheroes living their day to day life, which for supposed saviours of the world is actually rather normal – as they just can’t be bothered. Instead, this group of b-listers would rather get drunk in their local superheroes-only pub, The Fortress and commiserate at their lack of superiority. 

No Heroics is directed by Ben Gregor and executive produced by Sophie Clarke-Jevoise, who also worked behind the scenes on BBC1's My Hero series as its executive producer. The show stars Patrick Baladi as Excelsior - the strongest of the heroes and bane of the Hotness’ life), Nicholas Burns (as the Hotness, a heat-controlling hero desperate to save, well something…), James Lance (who plays Timebomb, who can see sixty seconds into the future), Claire Keelan (as Electroclash, who can control machines but prefers to use her powers to empty out cigarette machines) and Rebekah Staton (who plays super-strong She-Force, a mighty heroine who’s more interested in waiting for Mr Right to sweep her off her feet). Commissioned by the ITV2 controller, Zai Bennett, and the ITV editor of comedy, Michaela Hennessey-Vass, the initial commission was for eight episodes and is seen by ITV2 as part of a wider strategy to develop its comedy output. 

 "This is a perfect ITV2 comedy," commented Bennett last year, when the show was first announced. "It's witty, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, and is being produced with real passion from a great team." For creator Drew Pearce, No Heroics is an opportunity to put a British take on superheroes. "Plus, I have about 20 years' worth of comic books that I'm looking forward to finally being able to claim as expenses."
 
• ITV2 web site: itv2.itv.com
• Fan Site: www.noheroics.com

Ardal O'Hanlon stars in BBC Radio 4 'Spike's Lookalikes'

My Hero and Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon stars in a new sitcom for radio which starts on Monday on BBC Radio 4.

Spike's Lookalikes is stand-up comedian Mark Watson's first sitcom for Radio 4 and the first of three episodes will air on Monday 16 June at 11.00pm.

Ardal plays Spike, whose efforts to run a successful lookalikes agency are continually undermined – invariably by himself. His client list is diverse, if nothing else, and includes a Del Boy, a Posh Spice and a Pope John Paul II.

Loveable but thoroughly useless, Spike is bailed out on a regular basis by his wife, Maggie, office boy and lookalike wannabe Phil, and their friends, Jimmy and Sandie.

In the first episode, 'To Del And Back', Jimmy, Spike's Del Boy impersonator, has had enough and has decided to pack in the lookalikes game and fulfil his dream of being a dentist in Spain. But as Jimmy is about the only one of Spike's clients who actually gets booked, Spike has to pull out all the stops to change his mind.

Spike's Lookalikes also stars Doon Mackichan and Bruce Mackinnon.

'Bewitched' Reborn for the UK

The classic US sitcom Bewitched is set for a British makeover by My Hero creator Paul Mendelson.

Broadcast reports Sony Pictures Television International, which owns the rights to the original show, has agreed to a UK adaptation, which is likely to be made for the BBC.
Paul told downthetubes the pilot will be shot early next year at Teddington Studios, which is also where My Hero was shot. The cast has yet to be announced but he hopes to be able to share the information soon, but says "it's a goodie!" 

Paul Mendelson, who in addition to My Hero also created the BBC1 sitcoms May to December and So Haunt Me is now in talks with the BBC about a full series. If accepted, the show would strengthen the BBC's relationship with Sony, which has sold the Dragons' Den format around the world.

The original ABC series ran for eight series from 1964 to 1972 and spawned spin-off show Tabitha and inspired a big screen remake starring starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. It starred Dick York (and, later, Dick Sargeant) as a man who discovered he was married to a witch, Samantha, played by Elizabeth Montgomery. Agnes Moorhead played the wicked mother-in-law, Endora. None of the major cast of the show are still alive (see this list for more information).

• Buy the original Bewitched on DVD from amazon.co.uk
• Buy the original Bewitched on DVD from amazon.com
• More about the original show on www.bewitched.net