“This is the show I’ve always wanted to make”

Filming has commenced on new BBC One visual comedy series, Pompidou, created by and starring Matt Lucas.

The six 30-minute episodes will see Matt (Little Britain, Come Fly With Me) take the titular role of Pompidou, an elderly oddball aristocrat who has fallen on hard times. Alex MacQueen (The Thick Of It, Hunderby) plays Pompidou’s long-suffering butler, Hove.

In a clapped-out old caravan, parked in front of his now crumbling estate, lives Pompidou, a tubby, pompous, penniless, eccentric, yet ultimately lovable aristocrat. He is served by his loyal butler Hove and the pair are joined by Marion, an elegant Afghan Hound.

Each week, Pompidou and Hove face a new challenge, from stealing back a priceless bowl they once owned, to extracting a live bird which has flown into Hove’s mouth and is nesting in his stomach.

Bella Emberg (Benny Hill Show, Russ Abbott Show), Roy Barraclough (Coronation Street), Jane Asher (Dancing On The Edge, Alfie), and Tony Way (The Fast Show, Game Of Thrones) will also make cameo appearances in the comedy.

Matt Lucas says: “This is the show I’ve always wanted to make and I can’t wait to start filming.”

Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning for the BBC, adds: “Matt has worked incredibly hard on creating a unique comedy universe for Pompidou. Only someone of his immense talent and experience could achieve something that feels so modern and inventive which also has an underlying nod to past classic comedy masters like Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy. It’s rare to have a comedy the whole family can enjoy together.”

The series is a John Stanley production for BBC One, devised and written by Matt Lucas with Julian Dutton and Ashley Blaker, and Directed by Charlie Hanson and Matt Lucas.

Pompidou will be filmed in the UK for transmission on BBC One in early 2015.