Mathew Baynton, Rory Kinnear & Lydia Leonard lead BBC2 comedy

BBC two has commissioned a new six-part comedy, Quacks – created and written by Rev creator James Wood, which follows the progress of four young medical pioneers, in the extraordinary, daring and wild days of Victorian medicine.

Set in the 1840s, the 30-minute episodes star Mathew Baynton (The Wrong Mans) as a fledgling psychiatrist; Rory Kinnear (Count Arthur Strong) as an arrogant showman surgeon; Tom Basden (Plebs) as a hedonistic dentist turned anaesthetist; and Lydia Leonard (River) as a headstrong social campaigner. Rupert Everett (The Musketeers) will also guest star during the series.

The show explores an era of surgery when the operating theatre was just that: a theatre, full of spectacle and showmanship, where people would come to watch revolutionary procedures, or a surgeon try to beat his amputation speed record.

Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning for BBC TV, says: “This is a dream comedy cast allied to a very dynamic period in British social history which lends itself well to raucous high adventure and inappropriate behaviour, all in the name of progress. We follow the often maverick doctors from one misguided cock-up to the next with the very occasional (and mostly accidental) success. It’s a timely comedy flag in the often po-faced world of period settings.”

Creator and writer, James Wood says: “Quacks is a comedy series about three colourful, energetic, young Victorian doctors who enjoy a lurid social life of drink, drugs, and complicated relationships. In other words, they’re just like every other young doctor you’ve ever met. I couldn’t be more excited about working with this incredible cast on a show set during a fascinating period of medical history.”

Quacks is produced by Lucky Giant in association with the Wellcome Trust. Filming begins later this year.