Paul Whitehouse and Esther Coles begin filming comedy-drama
Production has begun in London on new BBC Two bittersweet comedy-drama, Nurse, created by and starring Paul Whitehouse.
The four-part series follows Esther Coles in the central role of Liz, a community psychiatric nurse as she does her daily rounds visiting the homes of her patients (or ‘service users’ in today’s jargon). It recounts the humorous, sometimes sad and often frustrating daily interactions with the nurse, whose job is to assess their progress, dispense medication and offer comfort and support.
The series is based on the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series of the same name, written by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings. Paul will take on the roles of Liz’s patients or their relatives; with supporting roles from Simon Day (The Fast Show), Cecilia Noble (Waking The Dead), Rosie Cavaliero (Inside No.9), Jason Maza (The Hooligan Factory), Vilma Hollingberry (Psychoville), Ben Bailey-Smith (Law & Order: UK) and Colin Hoult (Being Human).
Paul Whitehouse said: “Nurse is a project close to my heart, it’s an opportunity to explore issues and characters at a deeper level, while trying to find humour and hope in difficult situations.’’
Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning for the BBC, said: “Nurse has gone down very successfuly on radio and we are very excited about the TV version. Nurse gives a sympathetic insight into the world of some of society’s marginalised people. Paul is the leading character comedian of his generation and he has the ability to make you cry with laughter one minute and cry with empathy the next with the characters that he brings to life. There is warmth, truth and depth to Paul’s comedy and Esther Coles is a very funny, warm actress who will bring real tenderness, pathos and humour to the show. It’s a clever take on a multi-character comedy show, away from the sketch world, into something more heartfelt and considered.”
A BBC In-house Production, the executive producer is Gareth Edwards and producer is Tilusha Ghelani for the BBC. Nurse is Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon.
Nurse will air on BBC Two later in the year.
