0 2 mins 8 yrs

Adeel Akhtar, Nicola Walker, Paul Ready among cast

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Channel 4 has commissioned The Circuit, a new comedy pilot from Dennis Kelly (Utopia, Pulling) and Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Pulling).

The pilot stars, Adeel Akhtar (Utopia, Murdered By My Father), Eva Birthistle (Brooklyn), Victoria Hamilton (Doctor Foster, The Game), Tobias Menzies (Game Of Thrones, Outlander), Nicola Walker (Unforgotten, Last Tango In Halifax), Desiree Akhavan (Girls), and Paul Ready (Utopia, Cuffs), in a story about worst dinner party that’s ever happened and the horror and hilarity of social engagement.

Gabe (Akhtar) and Nat (Birthistle) have left their wonderful old life and moved to an area where people seem to oscillate somewhere between highly-strung and psychopathic. The reason they left isn’t immediately clear but they’re here now and trying to make the best of it. They go to one dinner party hosted by neighbour Helene (Hamilton) and her husband Sasha (Menzies) with fellow prisoners Marty (Walker) and her girlfriend Angie (Akhavan). And so begins a descent into hell and Goulash, from which no one will ever fully recover. Paul Ready will star as Danny.

Phil Clarke, Channel 4’s head of comedy said: “The pitch for The Circuit was irresistible. The premise – that everyone hates going to dinner parties but goes anyway – is a great starting place for a comedy. Plus, the prospect of a script from Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, writing together again for the first time since Pulling, was incredibly exciting. The script didn’t disappoint, and I am delighted that we are now making a pilot.”

Dennis Kelly and Sharon Horgan said: “It has taken just 10 short years for us to agree to work together again. It was a mistake.”

The Circuit pilot is produced by Merman, with Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, also serving as executive producers.