The BBC has announced a sequel to the satirical comedy series, W1A.
After previously serving in a leadership role for the London 2012 Games and a stint in W1A as the BBC’s Head of Values, Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) is now heading to the biggest stage in global football.
Next year’s tournament is set to be the largest ever, with 48 nations competing across 16 venues spread thousands of miles apart throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico. What could possibly go wrong? Ian Fletcher is about to find out as he takes on the role of Director of Integrity with the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team in Miami.
Ian Fletcher said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Oversight Team in Miami for this one-of-a-kind event. And when it comes to the Integrity role—if I may use a soccer analogy—it’s a rare chance to define your own goals and then score them on a global stage.”
Hugh Bonneville returns as Ian Fletcher and is joined by a stellar cast including Nick Blood (Day of The Jackal, Slow Horses), Chelsey Crisp (Fresh Off the Boat, Ten Percent), Paulo Costanzo (Designated Survivor, Royal Pains), Stephen Kunken (Billions, The Handmaid’s Tale), Jimena Larraguivel (Patience, RSC), Alexis Michalik (A Love Story), and Belinda Stewart-Wilson (The Inbetweeners, Stay Close).
The show’s writer and director John Morton says: “I wasn’t sure what Ian Fletcher had been up to recently. The last I heard he was still recovering from a serious Mindfulness Course in Somerset. So, it’s great to hear that he’s made it back and has re-emerged in his natural habitat at the centre of a well-known institution, but now on the world stage and facing his biggest opportunity yet to get things right. I’m thrilled and hugely grateful to the BBC for giving me the chance to follow him again, this time all the way to Miami, and I literally can’t wait to see what happens.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy says: “We’ll miss Ian’s invaluable contribution to the BBC as Head of Values but how could he resist getting the call-up to be a part of one of the most expansive and ambitious sporting events in the world. We wish him, and the team, all the best.”
Nerys Evans, Creative Director, Scripted at Expectation added: “I’ve been a fan of John’s writing for such a long time, especially seeing the different challenges he creates for poor Ian Fletcher, so beautifully portrayed by Hugh Bonneville. We’re thrilled to be collaborating on Twenty Twenty Six, I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for Ian this time.”
Paul Schlesinger, Executive Producer, said: “It’s 15 years since Ian Fletcher’s journey started with the run-up to the London Olympics and we are delighted the BBC has given John another chance to capture the universal comedy of people trying to organise something really big in a room, but this time with an outstanding international cast.”
Twenty Twenty Six is a brand-new six-part comedy series for BBC One and iPlayer, produced by Expectation—the team behind W1A and Twenty Twelve.