BBC returns to W1A, opens Deli

Self-referencing BBC comedy W1A

The BBC has ordered a third season of self-deprecating satirical comedy W1A and a new food programme showcasing amateur food producers.

W1A will return to BBC2, again be written and directed by John Morton, with the BBC’s in-house comedy unit producing.

The show, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at bureaucracy at the pubcaster, stars Hugh Bonneville (Paddington) and the new series is set in the year in which the BBC’s royal charter is up for renewal.

Meanwhile, The Finest In The Deli: Yorkshire’s Choice (working title, 8×60′) is being produced by UK-based Studio Lambert and gives food producers an opportunity to showcase their produce to real customers in a deli shop.

Two expert judges will decide which products are the best and deserve a permanent space on the shop’s shelves, with one item crowned the winner in the final episode. Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge will host.

The show is set to air in 2018 and has been commissioned by Patrick Holland, controller of BBC2, and David Brindley, head of popular factual and factual entertainment.

Finally, BBC3’s new shortform drama series Overshadowed, from Kay Mellor’s production company Rollem, will be made available as a box set from this autumn.

The 8×10′ series, based on Eva O’Connor’s eponymous play, tells the story of a young Irish vlogger whose life spirals out of control when she meets the monster of anorexia personified.