BBC Four do it in the best possible taste for Kenny Everett story

BBC Four is to celebrate the life and legend of popular radio presenter and television comedian Kenny Everett in new single drama The Best Possible Taste.

“The Best Possible Taste is a bold celebration of Kenny’s unique talent, scripted by Tim Whitnall in his TV writing debut. We’re thrilled to have Oli Lansley and Katherine Kelly playing Kenny and Lee in a story which encompasses pirate radio, Hot Gossip and the 1983 Tory Party conference!’ says executive producer Damien Timmer.

The Best Possible Taste, named after the catchphrase of Kenny’s female character Cupid Stunt, is a 90 minute roller coaster ride through a golden-era of popular culture, lifting the lid on the complex life of a much-missed entertainment icon. New television writer Tim Whitnall’s script centres on the unconventional love story between Kenny played by newcomer Oliver Lansley and his wife Lee Middleton, played by Corrie favourite Katherine Kelly.

Made by Mammoth Screen for BBC Wales, The Best Possible Taste is also a celebration of Kenny Everett’s extraordinary life and work. Told with the help of some of Everett’s most famous comic characters, including Sid Snot and Cupid Stunt, this film charts how Everett became one of Britain’s best loved, most rebellious and truly innovative broadcasters and comedians.

Kenny began in pirate radio before moving onto BBC Radio One, Capital FM and several local stations. Television series’ included long spells with Thames Television, BBC One and early work for the then newly launched London Weekend Television. Kenny ventured into musicals with a notable appearance in Mike Batt’s version of The Hunting of the Snark and became a game show star as the voice over on ATV’s Celebrity Squares, a regular panellist on Terry Wogan hosted Blankety Blank and a team captain on celebrity quiz, That’s Showbusiness.

Richard Klein, Controller, BBC Four says : “Kenny Everett was a genuine original: wild and un-focused maybe, but also deliciously anarchic and always entertaining. In many ways Kenny was a very modern celebrity, wearing his heart on his sleeve while coping with a complex life. Re-evaluating this talented and exuberant personality, enabling audiences to re-consider Kenny’s undoubted impact and legacy, makes this a very BBC Four drama.”

The drama is a Mammoth Screen Production through BBC Wales Drama, executive producers are Damien Timmer and Michele Buck for Mammoth and Faith Penhale for BBC Wales.