Starting on October 25th, Stephen Merchant's new drama features an unlikely group of misfits in his home city of Bristol.
Over the past two decades, Stephen Merchant has made a name as one of the brightest and most hilarious names in British comedy TV. Alongside Ricky Gervais, he co-created and wrote the hit-series The Office, as well as staple BBC comedies such as Extras, Life's Too Short, and An Idiot Abroad. He is also more than comfortable in front of the camera, with memorable roles in Hot Fuzz, The Big Bang Theory, and more recently as the terrifying Captain Deertz in JoJo Rabbit.
His latest project for the BBC, a series called The Outlaws, is taking Stephen back to his roots in the city of Bristol. The series, which he co-created and stars in, draws from his own parents experiences working with people who were on court-ordered community service for various reasons. Speaking with the BBC, he remembers fondly some of the people his parents met through their work.
"My mum would be there... building or painting a play area, she would talk about the sort of people that came through and it was interesting because they were such an unlikely group of people.
"There was an old guy that used to keep coming back, month after month, and he was always stealing things like cabbages from allotments and she realised over time that he was just lonely and liked the social aspect of doing community service, which I thought was so sweet and odd."
Years later, these unusual and complicated characters would form the basis for The Outlaws which is at times funny, poignant, and suddenly dark. The premise focuses on seven strangers from very different walks of life, who are forced to work together to clean up a derelict community centre in Bristol. But things get complicated when one of their number is dragged into the world of organised crime and they must come together to get out of the life-threatening mess.
Stephen features alongside a fantastic cast ranging from Poldark-star Eleanor Tomlinson to Prime and Sky actor Gamba Cole. Perhaps the most surprising addition to the cast, however, is the Oscar winning Holywood titan, Christopher Walken. Known for a wide range of roles including Seven Psychopaths, Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, and The Deer Hunter - for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the 51st Academy Awards - this is his first foray into BBC dramas.
It was no mean feat, therefore, for Stephen Merchant to bag the actor, now 78, for his series. In fact, he flew personally to the US and spoke with the actor in order to convince him of how perfect he was for the role. Walken will play Frank, a ne'er-do-well whose heart is in the right place but who has struggled to assimilate to life in England over the past 40 years.
The Outlaws begins on BBC One at 9pm on November 25th. Let us know what you think of the series on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
