New comedy 'Family Tree' for BBC Two and HBO

A new eight-part comedy series starring Chris O’Dowd will air on BBC Two and HBO next year.

Family Tree follows the life of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick (O’Dowd). Having recently lost his job and girlfriend, Tom is unsure of his own indentity, until he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt that he never met, and starts investigating his family lineage. As Tom unravels a host of unusual stories and characters it gives him a growing sense of who he is and who his real family are.
The show has been co-written and co-created by Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock and other cast members include Nina Conti as Tom’s sister Bea and Tom Bennett as his best friend Pete. Also appearing are Ed Begley Jr., Maria Blasucci, Matt Griesser, Don Lake, Michael McKean, Lisa Palfrey, Amy Seimetz and Fred Willard, as well as co-writers/co-creators Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock.

Janice Hadlow, Controller, BBC Two, says: “I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC. It has a stellar cast led by the fantastic Chris O’Dowd and is an exciting collaboration with NBCU International and HBO. Family Tree will form a key part of the channel’s comedy next year.”

Chris O’Dowd adds: “I’m terribly excited and monumentally under-qualified to work on an improvised show with Chris Guest.  I call him Chris ‘coz we are friends.  He calls me George.  I don’t know why.”

Filming will continue until early 2013, on location in the UK and Los Angeles, to air on BBC Two and HBO in Spring 2013.