Sky1 ups drama, comedy investment

European satcaster Sky’s flagship UK entertainment channel Sky1 is lining up drama and comedy commissions including a first UK television project from Stan Lee.

Comic-book icon Stan Lee

The channel said it is increasing its investment in content by 20% and will air UK drama and comedy all year round, with a new drama slot in primetime on Wednesdays.

The drama schedule is led by the previously announced You, Me & The Apocalypse, starring Rob Lowe, which will premiere in September. Four-parter Fungus the Bogeyman is slated for Christmas.

Comic-book legend Stan Lee has co-created his first UK TV drama alongside writer Neil Biswas. Lucky Man stars James Nesbitt as a down-on-his-luck police murder squad officer whose fortunes mysteriously change and will premiere in 2016.

Following the success of a 2014 one-off, Ashley Jensen will return as investigator Agatha Raisin in the comedy-drama of the same name based on the novels of MC Beaton.

Another international best-selling thriller writer, Harlan Coben, has created his first original story for television, titled The Five, which examines the consequences for a group of friends of a terrible childhood incident.

Fungus will air at Christmas

On the comedy front, After Hours is a new series starring Ardal O’Hanlon, John Thomson and Jaime Winstone that revolves around a community radio station and the 18-year-old fan who can’t get enough of its tunes.

Rovers focuses on life as a fan of a lower-league football team and stars Sue Johnston. Stella and Trollied have both been renewed, along with Karl Pilington’s The Moaning of Life and 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy.

In factual, the channel is preparing Big Cats: An Amazing Animal Family, a two-part doc hosted by biologist Patrick Aryee, while presenter and actor Ross Kemp returns for three-parter Ross Kemp’s Britain.

The channel has also picked up US acquisition The Muppets, a mockumentary series from ABC Studios that follows the Jim Henson characters in their day-to-day lives.

The channel will also continue to air new episodes of The Simpsons, Modern Family, The Flash and Arrow.