Fresh on the heels of sister channel Sky Atlantic commissioning a new comedy series titled Mr Sloane from former Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer Robert B. Weide, Sky1 has renewed its comedy series Moone Boy for a third season and given the green-light to a new 8 episode comedy series titled Yonderland from the main cast of Horrible Histories. The renewal of Moone Boy comes before the show’s second season has even aired.
Created by the main cast of Horrible Histories, Yonderland will be written by and star Mathew Baynton (Spy), Martha Howe-Douglas (The Armstrong and Miller Show), Jim Howick (Peep Show), Simon Farnaby (The Midnight Beast), Laurence Rickard (Psychobitches) and Ben Willbond (The Thick Of It). The series, which has received an order for 8 episodes, will feature puppets from Baker Coogan, long-time collaborators with the Jim Henson Company. Yonderland follows 33-year old Mum Debbie Maddox (Howe-Douglas) who unexpectedly finds herself in an extraordinary world inhabited by a collection of eccentric (and usually idiotic) characters, some of whom happen to be puppets, with only an Elf by her side. Working Title Television is producing, with Lucy Lumsden, Saskia Schuster, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Juliette Howell serving as executive producers. The director is Steve Connelly.
“We are delighted to give the incredibly talented Horrible Histories cast the opportunity to write and star in a brand new show for the whole family on Sky1”, said Lucy Lumsden, Sky’s Head of Comedy. “Since launching Sky’s push into comedy in 2010 across our four entertainment channels, the genre has flourished under our investment establishing Sky firmly within the television comedy landscape.”
