Channel 4 has commissioned a new comedy pilot called ‘The Circuit’ which will be co-written by Irish writer Sharon Horgan and will star Irish actress Eva Birthistle as one of the leads.
‘The Circuit’, produced by Horgan’s Merman and written by Dennis Kelly and Sharon Horgan is about the horror and hilarity of social engagement.
The pilot will see Eva’s character Nat – along with her partner Gabe (Adeel Akhtar) – leave their wonderful old life and move to an area where people seem to oscillate somewhere between highly-strung and psychopathic. The reason they left isn’t immediately clear but they’re trying to make the best of it. They go to one dinner party hosted by neighbour Helene (Victoria Hamilton) and her husband Sasha (Tobias Menzies) and so begins a descent into hell from which no one will ever fully recover.
Speaking about the pilot, Rachel Springett, comedy commissioner for Channel 4 said: "We can't wait to see this stellar cast breathe life into Dennis and Sharon's fabulous script. It’s a very exciting project which we are thrilled to be making with them."
This pilot announcement comes one week after ‘Motherland’ – written by Sharon Horgan and fellow Irish writer Graham Linehan (‘Father Ted’) – was announced by BBC as part of their new comedy season. Horgan has also recently shot HBO’s ‘Divorce’ starring Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead role – which she created and Exec Produced. She is also developing another comedy for Channel 4 with Irish actress Aisling Bea. Her comedy ‘Catastrophe’ aired its’ second season to acclaim last year – with Horgan picking up two IFTA Awards at the Television Awards in October 2015 for both writing and acting.
Check out our interview with Sharon Horgan after the IFTA Gala Television Awards here.
Recent British roles of Eva Birthistle’s include ‘Swansong’ – alongside fellow Irish actress Antonia Campbell Hughes – which garnered Birthistle an IFTA nomination for Best Actress. She also had a supporting role in the Irish film ‘Brooklyn’, which was recently nominated for three Oscars and seven IFTA Awards.
‘The Circuit’ pilot was commissioned by Channel 4 and is produced by Clelia Mountford (‘The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret’, ‘Divorce’) for Merman. It was written by Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, collaborating for the first time since the award-winning ‘Pulling’, who also serve as executive producers.
