Friday 13 May 2022

The nation's favourite comedy channel Gold is bringing back its hit UKTV Original comedy murder mystery Murder, They Hope (3x60") for a second series led by Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson, reprising their roles as Terry and Gemma.

Produced by Shiny Button, the Agatha Christie-inspired whodunnits, written by Jason Cook, have been a huge hit for Gold in recent years, with Cook's first outing Murder on the Blackpool Express attracting 1.8 million viewers during its first week. The success has continued ever since with Death on the Tyne, Dial M for Middlesbrough and last year the first series of Murder, They Hope with episodic guest stars Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Layton Williams (Bad Education) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts).

Following the explosion of their coach business in the Drapers Tours trilogy, Terry (Johnny Vegas) and Gemma (Sian Gibson) set out on a new adventure as fully-fledged private detectives in Murder, They Hope). They found themselves in the midldle of a poisonous pastry scandal, at the mercy of a murderous Bunnyman and chasing down a coach driving serial killer all while moving in with Gemma's sister Monica (Sarah Hadland) and trying to save for their much anticipated wedding. Series two picks up where we left off and promises church bells, couples therapy, aristrocratic mystery and a framing like no other.

Murder, They Hope is commissioned for UKTV by Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold. Steve North is genre general manager for comedy and entertainment and Richard Watsham is director of commissioning. The series is written by Jason Cook (Hebburn, Dial M for Middlesbrough, Murder on the Blackpool Express) and will be directed by Ed Bye and Sarmad Masud, series producer is Andy Harvey and executive producers for Shiny Button are Mollie Freedman Berthoud and Andy Brereton.

Pete Thornton said,

It feels like a rare thing to have a comedy that lasts for more than a few years nowadays on British TV, so to be back in business with the brilliant team behind Murder, They Hope when they first smashed records on Gold with the franchise way back in 2017 feels pretty special. To be welcoming back Sian and Johnny and to have a series in such rude health creatively feels even more remarkable. Hats off to all involved - we can't wait to see whodunnit next.

Gerald Casey said,

Jason Cook's brilliantly hilarious murder mysteries have become a true mainstay of the Gold channel. I can't wait to see Sian and Johnny back together as TV's funniest crime-solving duo.

Writer Jason Cook added,

It's such a joy to be able to take Terry and Gemma on another series of journeys into the word we have created for them. The reaction from the public has been incredibly heartwarming and I'm so happy that UKTV are allowing us to keep telling their stories.

Murder, They Hope will air on Gold later this year and follows recent scripted comedies Newark, Newark and The Cockfields.

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For more information, please contact

Gem Pinkney, Head of Consumer Comms, UKTV

About Gold

Sky 110(HD)/ 810, Virgin 120/124(HD), TalkTalk 310 On demand on Sky, Now TV and TalkTalk

Dedicated to celebrating the best of British comedy, Gold is the nation's favourite comedy channel.

Classic British comedy series loved by all the family sit comfortably alongside new UKTV Original scripted comedies crafted by some of the nation's finest comedic minds, such as Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes, Murder, They Hope, The Cockfields and Sandylands. Meanwhile Gold's unscripted series reunite the stars and partnerships of the nation's best-loved shows to get to the heart of what makes them so evergreen - from passion projects such as French & Saunders: Funny Women, Billy Connolly Does..., Lenny Henry's Race Through Comedy and Ricky and Ralf's Very Northern Road Trip to the retrospective likes of dinnerladies diaries and The Fast Show: Just A Load of Blooming Catchphrases.

Gold is the perfect tonic to make you laugh whatever the time of day.

Gold.uktv.co.uk / @goldchannel

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and scripted drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About Shiny Button Productions

Shiny Button Productions is an independent scripted comedy production company founded by Andy Brereton, James De Frond and Tom Davis, the award-winning team behind the hit BBC Three series, Murder in Successville, and King Gary for BBC One. Shiny Button Productions is an independent label within Tiger Aspect Productions and is part of Banijay UK.