#w1a

[theekosystem]

Confirmation that Twenty Twenty Six will be released just prior to the World Cup which starts on June 11th. No precise date yet.

W1A creator hails David Tennant's "ludicrous" narration – and teases "very different" Twenty Twenty Six

The prolific star will narrate the many more gaffes of Ian Fletcher's next chapter.

[fallenrocket]

Joel Fry-days

Karl Marx, Twenty Twelve / W1A

Twenty Twelve - Series 2 (Episodes 3, 5-7)

W1A - Series 1 (Episode 3,) Series 2 (Episode 1,) Series 3 (Episodes 1, 3, 6)

I'd been very perplexed to see a character named Karl Marx on Joel Fry's IMDb, and if you'd given me a hundred guesses, I wouldn't have guessed who his character ends up being on the sitcom Twenty Twelve and its spin-off W1A.

But we'll get to that in a moment. First off, here's a bit about the two shows, both of which are mockumentaries narrated by David Tennant:

Twenty Twelve follows the Olympic Deliverance Commission, who are in charge of getting everything ready for the 2012 London Olympics. Over the course of the show, they deal with all manner of crises, ranging from the mundane to the ridiculous. Olivia Colman is in it!

W1A takes two major characters from Twenty Twelve--Ian (Hugh Bonneville), who led the commission, and brand consultant Siobhan (Jessica Hynes)--and brings them over to the BBC, where Ian is appointed to the new post of Head of Values and Siobhan continues to do PR work. The series skewers the corporate ecosystem of the BBC, with an ever-multiplying number of executives with increasingly murky titles. Nina Sosanya, Jonathan Bailey and Jason Watkins (Gavin from Trollied) are in it!

Overall, I’d say both shows are amusing but kind of repetitive. Although that's definitely an intentional part of its humor, which satirizes bureaucracy and the way that corporate types can say a lot of words without ever coming to their point, it can still get tiring. There are some episodes that remind me of the scene in Extras where all the characters on Andy's sitcom are just sitting around reciting their catchphrases at each other. I enjoy some of the goofy dilemmas that the commission and the BBC execs have to deal with, though.

Siobhan's PR team also have recurring roles on both shows, which is where Karl comes in. His official title is Viral Concept Designer, and he works alongside fellow team members Barney and Coco. The PR team is only ever in one or two scenes per episode, and these are pretty repetitive as well. They're nearly always a pitch session, with assignments as varied as "ad campaign to increase interest in Olympic women's football" and "brand mashup to make Wimbledon synonymous with the BBC."

But honestly, I love Karl so much that I don't mind the repetitiveness. He’s awkward, anxious, and doesn’t really thrive in the fast-paced atmosphere of a pitch session. Karl's input is often a little out of step with Barney and Coco's--a bit off the mark, or else coming a few beats behind, just after the others have come to an unspoken agreement of we're not doing that anymore. As such, his suggestions tend to be met with confused stares or passive-aggressive brush-offs (Barney is especially guilty of the latter, hate that guy!!)

He's so much fun, though! Karl is an awkward sweetie who plays with his hair as a nervous fidget, and his bits inevitably crack me up. One of my favorites is when they're explaining their women's football ad campaign to a professional footballer: when Coco tells her, “You’re Wayne Rooney, only it’s like, you’re a woman,” Karl leans in to clarify, “She doesn’t mean that like literally.” Oh, honey!

And not for nothing, both shows constantly put him in absolute Outfits!!! Just look at this man's shoes and socks!

[literatemisfit]

W1A creator hails David Tennant's "ludicrous" narration – and teases "very different" Twenty Twenty Six

The prolific star will narrate the many more gaffes of Ian Fletcher's next chapter.

W1A and Twenty Twelve creator John Morton has praised the work of TV legend David Tennant in the hit sitcoms, while teasing his "utterly delightful" return in the imminent follow-up Twenty Twenty Six.

...

Following W1A's inclusion in Radio Times's poll to find the greatest modern British sitcom (vote now!), Morton looked back on the workplace comedy and the impact of Tennant's understated contribution.

He explained that scripting the narration is less "technically complicated" than the show's fast-paced dialogue, which is packed with filler words and cross-talk, but Tennant elevates it to be just as punchy and memorable.

"He's utterly brilliant," said Morton. "He knows exactly where the line is. When he's got something particularly silly to say... if you say it as a joke, it just doesn't work, but if you say it without any comedy at all, it goes 'clunk'.

"David manages to tread that line to let you enjoy the ludicrousness of what he's saying without him pointing at it. It's a very, very delicate thing."

Tennant is reprising his role as narrator for the forthcoming Twenty Twenty Six, which sees Ian go from Head of Values at the BBC to Director of Integrity on the oversight committee for an unspecified global football tournament.

"He's exactly the same: utterly delightful, so quick," he promised. "I sometimes forget until the very last bit of [production] what a big note in the overall music of the show he is... So we're super grateful for David."

Of course, Morton also expressed his "admiration" of the entire W1A cast, who he tasked with memorising incredibly "precise" scripts, where just the slightest slip-up could mean that the "whole engine crashes".

"At the end of one of those long meeting room scenes, I remember saying to them, 'The annoying thing about this is that when it comes out the other end, it'll look absolutely effortless. No one will ever know what you've just done,'" he said.

"So this opportunity is great for me, because I get a chance to say they are, all of them, my heroes."

[moviestvpolls]

Happy 38th birthday, Jonathan Bailey! 🎉 What 📺 TV show or movie 🎬 do you like Jonathan in most? 🧋🍿 Vote ✅️ or comment 💬 your fave ❤️

Fellow Travellers

Bridgerton

Wicked

Crashing

W1A

Broadchurch

Voting ended onMay 2

[elsie-dee]

I’m meeting these two humans tomorrow and I am NOT NORMAL about it

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

Have you seen W1A (2014-2024)?

Yes

Partially

No, but I've heard of it

Never heard of it

Voting ended onAug 10, 2024

[yonderghostshistories]

Happy 50th Birthday to Rufus Jones, who was born on this very day (17th May) today!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday today Rufus 🥳🎉🎂🎁🎈🎊!!

[honeynon11]

Hi everyone I am still looking for British people over the age of 18 to take part in an interview on the Difference between British and American comedy shows for my Dissertation. If anybody British could take part that would be great, thank you