Gold – the comedy channel owned and operated by UKTV – has given the green-light to a new three episode series titled The Two Ronnies Spectacle which will give insight into and feature rare footage of the comedy duo. The series is set to air on Gold later this year.
The Two Ronnies Spectatcle will look at some of the exciting spectacles from The Two Ronnies and feature an exclusive interview with Ronnie Corbett himself. Ronnie will also visit the Victoria & Albert Museum to unearth stored personal memorabilia of Ronnie Barker, some of which has never been seen on TV before. Each episode of the series will show classic sketches from the BBC series alongside rare material from the UK and overseas. There will also be in-depth interviews with friends, colleagues and select contemporary comedians, including Stephen Mangan, Al Murray and Clive Anderson. The hour-long series is being produced by North One Television with Ricky Kelehar serving as the executive producer.
“I’m excited to be celebrating Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker’s illustrious career together. The Two Ronnies Spectacle provides a fantastic insight into one of Britain’s best-loved comedy double acts and it’s great to have Ronnie Corbett working with us”, said Julie Swanston, UKTV’s Commissioning Editor. “It leads on perfectly from Bring Me Morecambe & Wise on Gold last year and further adds to the exclusive comedy slate the channel is continuing to create.”
While Steve North, General Manager of Gold, added “The Two Ronnies Spectacle will fit in perfectly with the channel’s brilliant new commissions and it is testament to the channel’s quality new programmes. After creating a definitive piece around Morecombe and Wise last year to be working with another of Britain’s favourite double acts is incredibly exciting.”
This commission is the latest from UKTV’s Gold channel and comes as the company is ramping up its offering of original content. This comes after Gold ordered their first original scripted comedy series Us & Them from Hat Trick Productions, which is soon to begin production. The Two Ronnies Spectatcle also follows other original commissions including Yes, Prime Minister, The Comic Strip: Five go to Rehab and Bring Me Morecambe and Wise, all of which were ratings winners for the channel.
