James Acaster stars in Glasgow entertainment pilot – Prolific North

Tuesday’s Child Scotland and Interstellar are making a new comedy entertainment pilot for Channel 4 and Screen Scotland.

The hour-long comedy entertainment show, James Acaster: People Person (working title) won’t be transmitted.

It will be produced, filmed and edited in Glasgow over the summer.

The commission was secured as part of an entertainment production initiative from Channel 4 and Screen Scotland which will co-fund the pilot .

“Scotland-based production companies have enjoyed considerable success in entertainment, quiz and comedy in the last few years and it’s great to work with Channel 4 to further develop this capacity,” said David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland.

“TV production across the UK is undergoing significant change, and the impact on freelance workers has been profound. This initiative is just one of the ways we are focused on increasing the levels of production from Scotland, increasing opportunities for Scotland-based talent and crews.”

In the show, Acaster celebrates people from all walks of life by making them the inspiration for a comedy quiz. He leads a panel of comedians to predict which person from a line up of people is the answer to each question. 

“This is more than just a pilot. It’s the co-pilot, flight attendants, passengers and the bloke with the paddles on the runway. This is about people. And I’m a people person. Let’s do this,” stated Acaster.

Tuesday’s Child is behind shows including The Hit List, Head Hunters and Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig. Interstellar, meanwhile has produced Richard Ayoade’s Question Team, Singletown and the forthcoming comedy reality hybrid Battle In The Box with Jimmy Carr. Last year, Tuesday’s Child acquired a majority stake in the company.

“Tuesday’s Child in Scotland is growing year on year, and to win this commission alongside Interstellar allows us to continue to work with brilliant local talent and cement our Glasgow base as a leading specialist hub for quality entertainment and factual output,” added Edwina Madden-Egan, Development Executive for Tuesday’s Child Scotland.

The pilot was commissioned by Head of Reality and Entertainment, Steven Handley and Commissioning Editor, Cimran Shah for Channel 4. Colette Magee serves as Production Executive for Tuesday’s Child Scotland. Steph Harris, Creative Director and Jamie Ormerod, Creative Director for Interstellar serve as Executive Producers, with Will Brown as Series Producer.