In The Long Run
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Idris Elba shows his funny side!

Idris Elba shows his funny side!

Get to know the actor’s new semi-autobiographical comedy series In The Long Run

Welcome to the Long Story Short on In The Long Run, your guide to the show that everyone’s talking about. Whether you’ve got ten seconds or three minutes, we’ll take you straight from blagger to boffin…

In The Long Run, Thursday 29 March, 10pm, Sky One/HD (CH 110/109). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > Sky One. All episodes available from Thursday 29 March in On Demand > Box Sets

Got seconds to spare?

A new comedy created by and featuring Luther’s Idris Elba. It’s set in mid-1980s London, where the Easmon family are quietly going about their lives – until a relative from Sierra Leone turns up on their doorstep to shake things up. And guess what? Every single episode of this six-part series will be available to watch in On Demand after the first episode airs!

 

Have a minute more?

This Sky Original Production is just the latest semi-autobiographical British comedy to arrive on Sky One – there are more to come in 2018, including Karl Pilkington’s Sick Of It and Romesh Ranganathan’s The Reluctant Landlord (you can read more about those below).

 

Semi-autobiographical, you say?

The show is loosely based on Elba’s childhood during the 80s (not that we can imagine the actor as anything other than a stern-faced hulk of a man). It’s a nostalgic, warm-hearted look at what it was like to grow up on an East London council estate as a child of West African parents.
 

Who does Elba play?

He’s Walter, the head of the Easmon family, who arrived in Britain from Sierra Leone 13 years ago. Husband to Agnes (Partners In Crime’s Madeline Appiah) and father to Kobna (Damilola, Our Loved Boy’s Sammy Kamara), the stoical man of the house earns a solid living at the local factory working alongside good friend and neighbour Bagpipes (Bill Bailey). Life is good – and then everything is turned upside down.
 

How so?

Walter’s brother Valentine (Rev’s Jimmy Akingbola) lands in the UK from Sierra Leone and is soon ruffling more than a few feathers. Valentine’s boundless energy rubs Walter and Agnes up the wrong way, particularly after he awakens a love of music in their teenage son.
 

Can’t get enough?

Great! To get you in the mood for this new comedy series, take a look at some more semi-autobiographical shows that have tickled our ribs in recent years – and a couple that you can look forward to later in 2018…

 

Cradle To Grave

Cradle To Grave

Originally shown on BBC Two back in 2015, this brilliant 70s-set sitcom was based on broadcaster Danny Baker’s autobiography Going To Sea In A Sieve. Starring Laurie Kynaston as a young Danny, Peter Kay as his dad Fred and Lucy Speed (EastEnders) as mum Bet, the show is pencilled in to return in 2019.

 

Everybody Hates Chris

American comedian Chris Rock’s eventful upbringing was hilariously brought to life in this four-season sitcom on Channel 5. Filled with big laughs and some seriously nostalgic 1980s references, it also didn’t shy away from tackling issues such as race and class.

 

Raised By Wolves

Raised By Wolves

Those familiar with journalist Caitlin Moran’s unflinchingly honest work weren’t surprised that this sitcom – penned by Moran and her sister Caroline – was just as candid. Transposing their childhoods in 1980s Wolverhampton to the modern day, the show aired for two razor-sharp series on Channel 4. It’s currently being remade in the US.

 

Sick Of It

Arriving later this year on Sky One, Karl Pilkington’s new series sees the television personality play himself in an alternate reality which asks the question: what if he had never met collaborators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant? We can’t wait.

 

The Reluctant Landlord

Romesh Ranganathan will play a reticent publican in this upcoming sitcom on Sky One, which is grounded in his own experiences. The comedian briefly took over his family’s West Sussex watering hole when his father passed away, before moving properly into stand-up. Sian Gibson (Car Share) and Seann Walsh (Virtually Famous) will also feature.
 

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