Simon Bird, Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas become Chickens for Sky 1

Sky 1 is to air a new comedy called Chickens starring Simon Bird, Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas.

 

The six half-hour episodes will go into production in December for broadcast in Summer 2013.

“Winning our first commission for Sky1 HD is a very significant moment for Big Talk. I know that Simon, Jonny and Joe will play a huge role in the future story of British Comedy and it’s particularly thrilling that Sky1 HD are helping them make the big leap forward with their own authored series – we are all very excited!” said Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen.

Chickens is a sitcom about three young men in a world of women. As the Great War rages, our nation’s heroes are fighting the good fight on foreign soil. But in one sleepy English village three fellows remain: George (Thomas) is a conscientious objector; Cecil (Bird) is a reject from the army on health grounds; and then there’s Bert (Sweet), an amoral philandering scaredicat.

Bird, Sweet and Thomas have been writing together since meeting at university and taking their show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007 and 2008.

Simon Bird, Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas said in a statement: “We’re delighted to be joining the Sky family to be making a series of our First World War sitcom, Chickens. It was the war to end all wars, and we hope this will be the comedy to end all comedies.”

Chickens is also about three young men on the wrong side of history. Every day they live in fear of being labelled as cowards, an argument they’ve already lost in the mere act of still being in England. The sitcom is just one in a long line of original content commissioned to boost Sky’s homegrown production output.